Finding Harmony
by Underneath All Elsewhere
Summary: "Well, I think we should go to my special place," Johnny told her. "You mean the lake?" Alli asked. "Wow, you remembered. That's pretty cool." "How could I forget? That was one of the most special moments of my life." Johnny/Alli.
1. The First Step

**Summary:** Three couples work on making their relationships more serious while also finding themselves. Johnny/Alli, Peter/Mia, Danny/Leia

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**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 1: The First Step

"Are you ever going to tell your parents that you're not really going to Clare's house on the weekends?" Johnny asked, stirring the large cup of pitch black coffee sitting on the table in front of him.

"Why should I? It'd be easier to let them figure it out on their own," Alli replied, sipping her peach flavored smoothie. "If Sav's not going to give up on Anya, then why should I throw in the towel with you?"

"You _are_ determined, I'll give you that," Johnny admitted with a smirk. "But I don't want you getting into any trouble."

"Trust me, I won't," Alli reassured her boyfriend of nearly three months with a confident smile and a toss of her glossy black hair. "They'll never suspect me over Sav and if they do, I'll work things out from there."

"Whatever you say, Backwoods," Johnny gave in, kicking her softly under the table.

After a pause in the conversation, something struck Alli. Nothing was strange about Johnny not ever mentioning his parents, but she still had some questions. Maybe they didn't exactly get along, but was that a reason to keep things from his girlfriend? "So, when am I going to hear about your annoying mom and dad?"

With a sigh, Johnny fiddled with his dirty fingernails. "I wish I had annoying parents to tell you about," he said flatly, staring down into his cup absently.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alli wondered, bracing herself for a load of bad news.

"Well," Johnny began, lifting his hat from his head and placing it back on again. "Let's just say my parents aren't very responsible people." Folding his hands on top of the table, he let out a long sigh once more. "I haven't seen them since I was four."

Alli sensed that this was difficult for him to discuss, but he was going to have to get used to her. More used to her than he already was, at least. "So they're still alive then," she concluded. "That's something." She was hoping to give him some reassurance, but he didn't look very convinced. Reaching across the table to squeeze his hand, Alli wasn't surprised when he retreated back into his shell.

"You know what?" He piped up suddenly. "It's not such a big deal. And plus, I don't want you feeling down today."

"Aw, that's sweet." With a smile, Alli squeezed his knee under the table. He _did _care about making their first official date ever special. She noticed him flinch, but he didn't say anything.

Every time she asked questions about his past, Johnny always seemed to find a quick and easy way to change the subject or skirt around the truth. It was beginning to become more and more difficult trying to connect to him. Perhaps he wasn't trying to be difficult and he just... _was _anyway?

"What time do you have to be home?" He asked, licking his lips as if he were hungry.

"I'm in no hurry. Not until five." Running two fingers through her newly trimmed ends, Alli paused. "Why?" Raising her eyebrows, she felt the corners of her mouth tighten. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just...." he trailed off, shaking his head. "I have some things to do later today."

"What kinds of things?" Putting on her serious face, Alli bored holes into Johnny with her dark brown eyes.

"Grown up stuff," Johnny replied, refusing to let her in on all the details.

"I suppose that's nothing _I _should know about, right? Since I'm just a little _kid_ and all." Glancing down, Alli noticed that her aqua nail polish was chipping. Why did Johnny not understand that she wanted to make this work? She'd already put so much effort into this relationship even though they'd broken up twice. Were her endeavors still going unnoticed? Did he always have to chip away at her heart when he knew that she was getting more and more attached to him?

"Look, I didn't mean it that way. It's not anything you'd understand, though." They'd been in the dimly lit, musty coffee shop for twenty minutes and he'd still barely touched his coffee. Something was definitely up.

"First I'm not meeting the age requirements and now I'm not going to be able to understand what's going on with you? Johnny, who do you think I _am_? Why can't you just tell me what's the matter? Is this not working for you, or what?" She fired out the questions with force, not holding anything back. These questions _really_ needed answers.

"I told you in the beginning Backwoods," Johnny began. "This isn't going to be easy. I have so much respect for you – you wouldn't believe it. But most of all, I _care_ about you. I don't want to hurt you by being an asshole... but sometimes it's going to be inevitable." He raised his glittering green eyes to look at her, waiting for another sassy retort. But it wasn't going to come.

Pondering over his words, Alli gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I'm glad you could be so honest with me. Even if I have to pry it out of you sometimes."

"I don't mean to be a turtle about things, but there are times when I have to be. To protect you."

"Johnny, the truth hurts and I know that. But you really need to sort things out because you're starting to act more like my dad than my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. But it's my job to make sure I don't do anything to make you sad or upset." Stirring his now cold beverage, Johnny cleared his throat loudly. Then he looked up into his girlfriend's eyes, hoping to find a bit of encouragement. There was none.

"I'm not going to be able to move forward with you if you can't open up,_ Johnathan_," she declared, smirking as she slurped up the last of her smoothie.

"Calling me by my real name doesn't make me feel threatened, _Alliana_," Johnny shot back, kicking her gently under the table again.

"If you wanted to play footsies all you had to do was say so," Alli teased, kicking back this time – and not so gently.

"Two can play that game," Johnny retorted, and pretty soon their table was shaking and the cup of cold coffee had overturned.

"Oops," the pair said at the same time and then burst into a fit of laughter.

"I'll get some napkins," Johnny said, rising to his feet. An employee had already looked up and spotted the mess, though.

"We need a custodian on the floor!" The pimply faced teenager shouted towards the back of the eatery. Johnny returned with the napkins and he and Alli began cleaning up anyway.

"That was funny." Alli giggled, sopping up some of the brown liquid with a wad of napkins.

"Yeah, but there's plenty more where that came from," Johnny informed her, wiping off the top of the table. After all the coffee had been cleaned up, he took the other napkins from her and threw them into the large trash bin at the front of the shop along with their cups. He came back licking his fingers and Alli scrunched up her nose.

"Gross."

"Not really," Johnny said, grabbing her coat off the back of her chair and helping her into it. "Let's get outta here."

As they exited, they heard the aggravated adolescent swearing under his breath about carelessness and shitty customers, which caused them to laugh more. Right after they hit the sidewalk, Johnny began digging deep into his pockets. Alli had the feeling he was going to pull out a pack of Malboro since he hadn't been able to drink his coffee for whatever reason.

"Johnny, you promised me," Alli whined, praying that she was gnawing at his conscience.

"I didn't promise you anything about the smokes, Bandhari." Retrieving his favorite red and black lighter from his back jeans pocket, he flicked the switch and the end of the cigarette that was wedged between his lips sparked. "Ahh." He exhaled, after taking a long drag. "That hit the spot."

"What spot? Do you mean the very source of your breathing, your _lungs_? Your teeth, the back of your throat? Smoking is extremely harmful to your health, Johnny. I'm not going to watch you destroy your body like this."

"Then don't look," he joked, blowing a ring of smoke into the air above her head.

"That's not funny," Alli spat, making sure to refrain from breathing through her nose. Turning away, Alli put a hand to her forehead as they stopped at a crosswalk to wait for passing traffic.

"What if I told you I chewed tobacco instead of gum?" Johnny asked with a laugh, pushing his cigarette back between his lips.

"Then I would crush your balls," Alli threatened, shoving him away from her, causing him to stagger backwards.

"That doesn't sound fun," he announced, as if it weren't already obvious.

"Seriously, though. I'm going to make sure you stop by the end of this school year."

"Wow, she's one confident lady." Johnny grabbed her hand as they crossed the street.

"It's going to happen. I'm going to make sure of that." Alli looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to agree with her.

"Backwoods, it's not going to happen automatically. I mean, just because you got me to be nice to Connor once doesn't mean I'm all of a sudden the guy of your dreams."

"Johnny, I started making you use breath mints before we kissed. I'm not going to be kissing you at all if your breath smells like a fireplace," Alli said sternly. He dropped her hand immediately and stopped walking.

"Alli, I even started brushing my teeth more. What _else_ do you want me to change about myself?" Johnny shouted, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. Sucking the last puff out of his cigarette, Johnny's nostrils flared as he dropped the cigarette onto the concrete and ground it out with his shoe.

Stopping a few feet away from her newly reforming significant other, Alli waited patiently for him to keep walking. He didn't need to act this way about the situation. Things like this weren't a big deal unless they were viewed as obstacles. Approaching him with caution, Alli reached for his hand. He wasn't meeting her gaze. Maybe he was just frustrated. People passed them in clusters. A couple gave them a stare, and Alli tried to ignore it, but something wouldn't stop hammering away at the back of her head.

"We can work on our flaws at our own paces, okay? I don't want you to feel pressured." She wished she could snake her arms up and around his neck, but she wasn't wearing heels today.

"Alli, I'm sorry. That was terribly immature of me." He took a step towards her and they began walking again. "It's just... I don't want you to regret anything that's happened between us."

"You're the first boyfriend I've ever had. I don't really know that there are any problems in our relationship. It's perfect, Johnny. It really is." Grinning to solidify her bold statement, Alli squeezed his upper arm as he picked up his pace.

"Hopefully it stays that way," Johnny said doubtfully.

"It will." As they walked on, Alli's feet began to grow more and more tired. "We've been walking for an awfully long time. Why did you park so far away from the coffee shop again?"

"I told you, Alli. People in this neighborhood _know_ me. If they saw us together, they'd have more reason to believe that I'm some sort of horny pervert. I don't want them to think that you're too young for me. If they got a closer look, there would definitely be questions."

"Johnny, we're going to have to face these kinds of things sooner or later. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do." He fumbled around in his jacket pocket and came up with his car keys. His small jet black Honda was finally in sight. "Just remember you can walk away at any time, Backwoods. You don't have to put yourself through _anything_ for me."

As they neared the car, Alli held on to his arm even tighter than before. "I'll walk away when I'm ready," she began, her heart pounding harder in her chest. "I hope that's never."

He leaned down right then and there, in the middle of the sidewalk, and kissed her - seemingly not caring who saw. She wanted to squeal like when she'd lost her kissing virginity to him. He was so exciting and interesting and he wasn't really a man whore and she seemed to be the first girl he'd committed himself to and he was everything she could ever want in a guy and....

"Alli?" Johnny waved his hand in front of her face. "You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." He opened the passenger's side door for her and she climbed in. If only he knew.

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Johnny/Alli is my new love. Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	2. Let It All Out

Since no one cares about Peter/Mia or Danny/Leia, I decided to make this a Johnny/Alli centric story. Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter.**

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**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 2: Let It All Out

Gazing into the mirror that was hung on the back of her bedroom door, Alli twirled a long strand of her shiny black hair around her index finger. She was supposed to be meeting Johnny outside in about ten minutes, but she had no one to ask for advice on what she should be seeking from him next. Clare was much too inexperienced, Anya was doing "things" with her_ brother_, and and the cool, older girls from her advanced placement classes would think she was immature for asking questions of that nature.

Grabbing her purse off of the doorknob on her closet, Alli exited her room and waltzed into the living room. "Where are you off to now, Alliana?" Her father's voice rumbled as he looked up from the Sunday paper.

"I'm just going to take a walk around the neighborhood father," Alli said as innocently as she could.

"By yourself?" Mr. Bandhari looked concerned now, folding the paper and setting it down in his lap.

"Come on, father. It's only three in the afternoon and I'll probably meet Clare at the park," she lied.

"Whatever you say," Mr. Bandhari mumbled, his eyebrows still raised. "Just make sure you're home in time for dinner!" He warned as Alli was out with a slam of the front door.

As she began walking the block to Johnny's usual parking place, she wondered how much longer she was going to have to keep lying to her parents. She knew her relationship with Johnny was worth every hurdle she had to jump over, but at the same time, maybe it'd be best to tell her parents that she was seeing someone even if she didn't reveal _who_ that someone was.

Wrapping her sweater tighter around herself, Alli turned a corner and tilted her head back to look up into the clouds. That was a big mistake. By the time she'd averted her gaze, she'd collided with a young man. When she fell into his arms, she heard him whisper something into her ear. Then she noticed the mess of scraggly blonde hair and recognized the strong scent of cheap cologne. It was Johnny.

"Wow. That was interesting," Johnny said under his breath. They were facing each other now, and Alli smiled up at him brightly.

"And where are you going, mister?" Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her up by her waist and took a spin, twirling her around with him.

"I was hoping to run into you, missy," he retorted, releasing her from his grasp.

"You just couldn't wait to see me, huh?" Alli teased, stifling a giggle.

"Well, of course," Johnny said sheepishly, now tickling her under her arms.

"Ha ha! Stop, you know that's where I'm the most ticklish!" Letting her go, Johnny's face became serious.

"I was thinking we could go for a walk today," he suggested.

"Sure. What's up?" Alli wondered, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"There are some things I've been wanting to tell you since we started going out," Johnny confessed, not wanting to look at her.

"Like what?"

"Like... why I'm such a bad guy. And why I thought you had no reason to trust me at first."

"That's great," Alli said, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to know all the details. Maybe honesty wasn't the best policy if the truth hurt so much. "I wanted to talk to you about something, too," Alli told him.

"Great. I guess a lot of things are going to come out of the bag tonight."

"Sure," Alli agreed, nodding slowly. Although she wanted to be as honest as possible with Johnny, she also prayed that he wouldn't be angry with her for wanting her parents to know about them. "Can we go to the park?" She blurted out suddenly.

"I didn't know you still liked playing on manufactured equipment with eight year olds, Alli," Johnny teased, letting out a laugh.

"Not the playground, you idiot. The park that sells hot dogs and ice cream cones and cotton candy," she clarified.

"All right. I just hope no one from Degrassi happens to be taking a stroll this afternoon," Johnny said, looking a little doubtful.

--

Upon arriving at the park, the couple took a seat on a bench full of leaves that was situated under a tree. No one was going to notice them under there. "Look," Alli began, "I'm tired of lying to my parents. I'm not used to that, at all. We need to work out other plans."

"Like what?" Johnny inquired, peering into her eyes.

"Maybe we could double date with KC and Clare. Trust me, they won't be suspicious at all if they know Clare will be there."

"That's easy for you to say, Backwoods. You're a ninth grader; they're your friends. Don't you think I'd be uncomfortable being the only almost legal person in the group? Wouldn't Clare be wondering why I was there?"

"If any nosy people were around we could just tell them that you're Clare's older brother. And that... you were just taking us all out because you can drive... and stuff."

"I have my own friends, Alli. And you met them before. I thought you were cool with them."

"I _am_, Johnny. But you haven't gotten the chance to hang out with _my_ friends."

"And about the lying and saying that I'm Clare's older brother... I thought the whole point of you telling me about all this was that you wanted to _stop_ lying."

"I _do_. But... if i have to protect myself and my friends, I'll do what I have to."

"You're brave, Alli," Johnny said proudly. "You are, really. But I mean, do Clare and I even look_ remotely_ alike?"

"You both have pretty green eyes," she whispered softly, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Aw shucks," Johnny replied playfully. "You're making me blush."

"Well, what about _your_ confessions?"

"Me? Oh, I think I should buy you something before we talk about me."

"Why?"

"Oh, just because." They both rose from the bench and Johnny took Alli's hand in his. "What do you want?"

"A huge blue cotton candy!" Alli squealed like a six year old.

"You're too cute," Johnny whispered and she grinned. Approaching the food stand, Johnny pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "One blue cotton candy please," Johnny told the cashier and handed her a five dollar bill.

"Ooh, you sure you don't want to get another one? 'Cause I'll spin you around faster than that sugar and treat you sweeter than a whole bowl of it," she drawled in a thick Southern accent.

"It's for my girlfriend," Johnny replied with a fake smile.

"Ooh, she's cute," the cashier said, handing Johnny his change. As Alli watched the sugar spin around and around, she smiled. Johnny wasn't the type of boyfriend who would flirt with other girls when she wasn't paying attention or wasn't around. That made her even more excited about what was to come for them.

"Great job back there," Alli congratulated Johnny as they returned to the bench to sit down. "You really impressed me with that."

"I can't say that I'm feeling modest right now," Johnny admitted, his face breaking out into a wide grin. "But I was just being myself. I don't want you to think for a minute that I'd do those kinds of things behind your back."

"Well, I'm glad I know that now," Alli replied, tugging on one of his curls affectionately. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Johnny said, his smile growing even wider. As they took their seats again, Alli began picking at her cotton candy.

"So... what's so urgent that we actually have to sit down to talk about it?"

"A lot of things," Johnny said softly, looking away. "I mean, we've been spending more and more time together lately and I don't want you to get too involved with me because I _am_ a senior and I do have plans for next year-"

"Just get to the point already!" Alli complained, feeling a clump of sugar melt on her tongue. "Just say what you have to say and I'll deal with it." She gulped down some of her fears. If Johnny was having such a hard time spitting it out, the news probably wasn't so pretty.

"I live... in a trailer park. That's how I met Bruce and Luke and Drake."

"Okay... so?" Alli asked, resting her head on his shoulder once again.

"So... we barely make rent each month and it gets hard. I don't want to have to bring you into that."

"Who's we?" Alli reached up and pushed a ball of cotton candy into his mouth.

"Me, my aunt and my little brother. She took us in after our parents bailed."

"Wow. You must have had a hard life growing up. But you're different now. Kind, sweet, caring, responsible. I need a mature guy like you by my side."

"That's not the point Alli," Johnny said, a long sigh escaping his lips. "You're... you're everything that I'm not. You're classy. You have a stable family, a good head on your shoulders. You're really smart and that could take you far. I just don't want a guy like me holding you back," Johnny told her, watching as she stuffed another ball of cotton candy into her mouth.

Watching her, he felt like a pervert. Sitting there next to him, she looked so young and innocent. As if she wouldn't dare harm an ant. He couldn't fathom how he'd gone as far as to take her virginity. He should have stopped himself before things got out of hand.

"Listen _Johnathan_," she began, addressing him by his real name. "I'm already developing feelings for you. And you know that. So why fight it?"

"Because Alli, I don't want you to look back and wish you hadn't taken a chance on me," Johnny pressed on. "I just can't help it sometimes."

"We can't keep going back and forth with this. You either want to move forward, or you don't."

"I do want to go places with you, Alli. I _really_ do." Alli reached down and squeezed Johnny's knee comfortingly. "It's scary that you have more confidence in this relationship than I do," Johnny whispered, his breath lingering in the chilly autumn air.

"I can't disagree," Alli said. "But I _really_ want this to work." When the cotton candy was done, Alli sighed and went to toss the stick into a nearby wastebasket. Returning to their little secluded bench, Alli cleared her throat. "Now that I'm all sugared up, we can really get down to business." Facing him, she took his hands in hers. "_Please_ tell me what's on your mind. Right now."

"I used to bully people. All the time. It was my life. Fighting helped me feel better about a lot of things."

"You're different now. You don't do those things anymore," Alli reminded him.

"Yeah," Johnny mumbled, as if he was just realizing this for the first time. "And it's all because of you. And I thank you for that."

"Aw. You're welcome." Alli pressed her lips to his cheek.

"I can't forget those days. A lot of sh-, er, crap went down."

"I mean, how bad could it have been?" Alli wondered, squeezing his hands even tighter.

"Then we all had to go to Degrassi because Lakehurst burned down. That was hard for me, too. Because I grew up a couple of blocks away from the place and there were so many memories...." He left his sentence unfinished and focused his bright green eyes on her dark brown ones.

"It's always hard departing from your childhood," Alli reassured him. "But we all have to do it at one time or another."

"Of course," Johnny agreed, but his confidence seemed to be lacking. "And then I let Gavin Mason beat me to a pulp because I knew I wasn't strong enough for him."

"Then why did you challenge him?" Alli was definitely more concerned than ever by now.

"I guess I wanted to prove to Luke that I was as tough as he was, if not tougher... even though I knew I wasn't."

"What about all those different girls you used to hang with?" Alli asked. If he wasn't ready to tell her about all the things he'd been through with his family and friends, she hoped he'd at least be willing to tell her about his romantic past.

"I never had a true serious girlfriend until I was fifteen. Then that just exploded and my friendship with Luke was never the same again."

"Wow. What was she like?"

"Pretty, sweet, smart. Just like you. Only you're much better," Johnny said, kissing his girlfriend of three months on the forehead.

"What about at Degrassi? Did you get any hot play there?"

"Kinda. Once on the roof with this chick named Darcy. I didn't actually like her, but she was smokin', so I went for it," Johnny admitted, struggling to hold back his laughter.

"Sure," Alli said, punching him in the arm lightly. "That can be fun sometimes. Kinda like with me and KC."

"I'd always hoped to make respectable and upstanding friends, but then my aunt made me waste my Spring Break at this stupid camp for troubled teens. Back then, I was really pissed about it, but I think I actually learned a few things out there in the woods."

"Was Bruce there?"

"No, he was down in Florida getting his drink on," Johnny said. Releasing Alli's hands from his grasp, he sighed in frustration. During times like these, he wished he could tell her about _all_ that he was feeling. But he didn't want to say the words too early; he was worried that's he'd put more pressure on her by moving too fast – yet again. "So, uh, you wanna go to the range tomorrow?"

"Shooting? Hunting? You know that's too dangerous for me," Alli informed him, raising her eyebrows.

"No, not real guns and all that junk. We'll be shooting at targets in a field. Me and you and Bruce and Reese and his chick."

"If you want to invite me to hang out with you and your friends again, that's fine by me, but-"

"Trust me. It's gonna be different from the ravine. I should have known better than to let you follow me out to hook-up central."

"Will there be alcohol and stuff?"

"Nah. I know I won't be drinking any if there is, at least. And of course, neither will you."

"Yeah, I'm not even close to being legal... unlike you guys," she emphasized, poking him in the chest.

"All right, well is it too late to go to the Dot for some food?"

"Um, I told my dad I'd be home in time for dinner," Alli replied sadly, checking her watch and realizing it was nearly five.

"Maybe next time." Johnny sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I guess we better start walking then," Johnny announced, standing and offering Alli his hand.

"You're such a gentleman," she commented, taking his hand and rising to her feet. "Thanks for telling me all that stuff. Are you sure you don't want to talk to someone like Sauvé about that kinda stuff?"

"No, Alli. Talking to a counselor about my issues won't actually help me. It's just tough."

"You have too much bottled up inside. So anytime you want to talk to me, feel free to call or leave a message. Please," Alli pleaded with her eyes.

"My baggage isn't yours to carry, Backwoods."

"Well, just know that I'm here. I'll always be here for you. As long as you let me." They came to a stop a block and a half away from Alli's house.

"Hey, look at me," she said softly, trying to meet Johnny's gaze. "You mean a lot to me and I hate to see you upset." Leaning down, Johnny wrapped both of his arms tightly around Alli in a hug. Turning his head, he pressed his nose into the side of her neck, breathing in her lovely scent of lavender and chamomile.

"Bye Alli," he whispered, pulling out of the hug and turning around. He'd nearly said it. Luckily, he'd stopped himself in the nick of time.

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Please review and tell me your thoughts with a little more than a phrase or a sentence please.


	3. Obstacles

Thanks to all my reviewers! I really appreciate you guys. **

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**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 3: Obstacles

"Hey," Johnny said as Alli pushed through the front doors of Degrassi with Clare by her side.

"Bye," Clare excused herself, not even faking a smile upon seeing Johnny. Although he appeared to be treating her best friend with respect so far, Clare was still wary of Alli's relationship with him. She was sure that he'd end up hurting her in the worst possible way.

"See you later," Alli responded with a small wave. Then she turned to her boyfriend. "What's up?" She linked arms with Johnny and he led her down the steps and out back into the student parking lot. Unlocking his car, he opened the door for her, like always. "What's going on? Where are you taking me?" Alli asked, now wondering if some sort of huge surprise was in store.

Johnny slammed the door shut and walked around the front of his car to the driver's side. Climbing in, he shoved the key into the ignition. "I want you to meet my little brother."

"Oh my gosh!" Alli squealed. She gave Johnny a peck on the lips and sat back in her seat, a huge grin plastered onto her face. "You're serious."

"Yeah, I am," he confirmed, trying to feign nonchalance. "He's your age. But don't worry. He digs older chicks."

"Cool," Alli said, folding her hands in her lap. She was so excited. She was going to meet a member of Johnny's immediate family! They hadn't been going out all that long, but he still wanted her to feel at home whenever they were together. She couldn't have hoped to meet a better guy. "What about your aunt?" Alli wondered, twiddling her thumbs.

Johnny snapped on the radio. "She works three jobs to support us," he told her, pulling out of the parking space and turning on his indicator.

"Darn," Alli said softly. "That sucks."

"Sure, whatever," Johnny mumbled, looking both ways and then pulling out onto the road.

"How often do you see her?"

"Often enough. When she gets the time."

"Come on, she _must_ make time for you guys," Alli insisted, placing her hand on Johnny's knee.

"Yeah," Johnny gave in. "She's great when she really wants to be." Turning a corner, Johnny sighed heavily and Alli decided to drop the subject. Strangely, he seemed to be getting upset. The rest of the way there, Alli listened to Johnny's music while he swam in his own thoughts.

--

When Johnny pulled to a stop, Alli looked out the window. There were a wide variety of trailers all parked in neat little rows. She was a little nervous, but then Johnny poked her in the rib. "You ready, Backwoods?"

"Sure," Alli said, turning back to face him.

"Just remember that you're probably not going to like it here. And that's fine. I still care about you no matter what." With a smile, Alli opened the car door and stepped out. Taking a deep breath, she began coughing and sputtering. Billowing clouds of black smoke were blowing towards them from the east.

"I forgot to tell you about the power plant," Johnny announced with a snicker.

"Wow. It's really close," Alli commented, finally regaining control of her lungs.

"Wait, you don't have asthma do you?" Johnny asked, rushing to her side.

"No. I'm fine." Fanning her face, Alli coughed again, her eyes watering.

"Come on." Johnny put his arm around her shoulder. He led the way through the maze of trailers until he came to a stop at the right one. With his keychain dangling from his neck, all he had to do was stick the correct key into the lock.

Pushing the door open, he let Alli enter first. Stepping inside, Alli looked around as Johnny closed and locked the door behind them. There was a long hallway that went in both directions. In front of her was a small sitting room of sorts, and there were pictures of Johnny and his brother all over the place. One in particular caught her eye, though. It showed an adorable baby Johnny with the same curly blonde hair and stunning emerald eyes. He was beautiful.

"You're weren't supposed to see those," Johnny said through his teeth. He grabbed her arm and lead her towards what was supposed to be the living room, she guessed. They came to a stop in the kitchen first, and Alli saw baked beans cooking on the stove.

"John, get in here! I heard the door; don't try to hide from me!" Alli figured that was the voice of his brother coming from another room. "Hey man, I was watching these hot babes-" Appearing in the kitchen doorway, he stopped short upon realizing that Johnny wasn't alone. "Wow. You could have told me we were going to have a guest," he complained, covering his bare nipples.

"Shut up, Aaron. I did tell you last night, but-" Johnny cut himself off and opened the fridge. Alli thought she heard him say something else, but she couldn't quite make out the words since his head was engulfed by the stainless steel fridge.

"So, this the chick you messing around with?" Aaron shouted, rubbing at his belly. He removed his pot of baked beans from the stove top.

"_No_," Johnny said forcefully, removing a can of beer from the fridge. "This is my girlfriend. Her name's Alli."

"Hi." Alli waved at Aaron, and he smiled.

"Hey," he replied, opening a drawer and retrieving a spoon. Looking away, Alli rested her chin in her palm. This was definitely not the kind of household she was used to.

"Want some?" She heard Aaron say. Averting her gaze, she saw a pot of baked beans being shoved in her face. Meeting his eyes, she cleared her throat. He looked exactly like Johnny except for the fact that his hair was shorter and his eyes were a light blue.

Shaking her head, Alli declined. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Treat her with some respect, Aaron. Baked beans? That's _our _style," Johnny reminded him, trying not to be too harsh.

"What's the difference between a girlfriend and a chick you're messing around with?" Aaron wondered impatiently. "Besides, I didn't even say anything." Rolling her eyes, Alli shrugged out of her sweater. Maybe that's why Aaron was shirtless – it was pretty hot in here. "She's no Jane, John. You know she's too good for us."

Aaron exited the kitchen, his bowl of baked beans in hand. Turning towards Alli, Johnny shook his head. "Look, he's an asshole and it's not my fault. I thought I taught him better than that."

"It's all right," Alli assured him, folding her arms across her chest.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" Johnny leaned against one of the kitchen counters, still sipping his beer.

"No," Alli responded flatly. "I want to wait and meet your aunt."

"I told you. Her work schedule is pretty damn hectic, Alli. We'd have to actually schedule this some other time."

"Fine. Then let's go study," Alli suggested, rising to her feet and grabbing Johnny's hand. "Where's your room?"

"That way." Pointing in the direction they'd entered, Johnny smirked.

"Okay then." Dragging him out of the kitchen and into the hallway, Alli took a deep breath. She had a plan, and she hoped it would work.

"First door on the right," Johnny directed. Then he paused. "What are we going to do again?"

"_Study_." Turning the doorknob and pushing the door all the way open, Alli flicked on the light and surveyed her boyfriend's natural habitat. Posters of bands with ridiculous names lined the walls. His bed was shoved into a corner and there was a small closet facing it. Some of his clothes were strewn across the room, but otherwise, it was basically spotless.

Releasing his hand from her grasp, Alli dropped to her knees and picked up one of his shirts from the floor. Shoving her face into it, she inhaled deeply. It smelled just like him – cheap cologne and all. "Mmm," Alli murmured. "Can I have this?"

"What?" Johnny locked the door. "Why do you-"

"It'll remind me of you and how wonderful you are on nights we can't be together," Alli explained sweetly. "I'm gonna put it on right now." Pulling her shirt over her head, Alli smiled when Johnny's eyes widened.

"Come on, Alli. "Don't-"

"Don't what? We haven't even made out since...." she trailed off, remembering what had taken place in the van at the ravine.

"Yeah, and there's a good reason for that," Johnny said sternly. Slipping her arms through his shirt, Alli sighed. Everything about this felt so right. Johnny was perfect in every single way. Even when he was acting like her overprotective father.

Walking over to his bed, Alli lay down on it. "Oh, I wish I could spend the night with you," she declared, looking over her shoulder to see the expression on his face.

"No, you don't," Johnny retorted, removing his jacket and hanging it up in his closet.

"Why shouldn't I at least _want_ to?"

"First of all, you have to be home before six. Am I right?"

"Yeah, but-" Alli tried to protest, but Johnny beat her to the punch.

"And my aunt coming home at six in the morning would surely rob you of your precious beauty sleep," he teased. "Plus, the gunshots ringing in my ears every night aren't exactly pleasant."

"Are you serious?" Alli sat up on the bed.

"This is no joke, Alli." He really was being dead honest, and it was kind of scary. He walked over and joined her on the bed. Laying her head on his lumpy pillow, Alli curled up into a tight little ball. She felt so warm and at home on his bed. All she wanted was for him to come over and wrap his arms around her waist. His strong arms encircling her body would surely give her a newfound confidence in his strength.

"I'm so... _sorry_ Johnny. It must suck not having a support system when you need one the most. And having to hear and witness violence constantly... it just isn't _right_."

"Don't worry about it, Backwoods. I have you now." Leaning down, Johnny brushed her hair over one shoulder. "I care about you so much, Alli. So much that I'm scared about what's going to happen next."

"That's fine." Alli smiled and sat up straight. "We can be afraid together. We'll always have each other." Removing his hat, Alli snaked her arms around his neck and leaned forward. When their lips met, it felt like magic. Johnny slowly pulled away and pushed her back down onto his bed. Then he kissed her again. His mouth felt as if it were on fire.

He swung his legs up onto the bed and pressed his body into hers. Alli thrust her hands up under his long-sleeved shirt and he pulled it off. She yanked him back down towards her and ran her fingers through his curls. When she shoved her hands into the back pockets of his jeans, Johnny sat up abruptly.

"We should stop, Alli. I don't want to get carried away... you know, like last time."

"Cool," Alli breathed out, pulling his shirt down over her stomach. "Yeah. It's just... I'm so amazed. You brought me here to meet your brother. That tells me something."

"Yeah," Johnny mumbled, dragging his shirt back over his head. There was a knock at the door.

"Yo, John! I'm heading out with Matt and Jeff, all right?" Aaron yelled.

"Okay," Johnny responded. "Do you wanna go and see the lake?" Snapping back to reality, Alli swallowed.

"Sure. Where is it?"

"Like five minutes from here."

"Why is it so special?" Alli wondered, sliding over to the edge of the bed.

"I always go there when I'm pissed and want to blow off steam," Johnny explained, putting his hat back on.

"Oh, I'm not sure I want to intrude on your special place," Alli told him, biting down on her bottom lip.

"It's not intruding if you're invited. And you are," Johnny told her.

"Great." Alli rose from the bed and walked over to him. "It was sweet of you to ask me."

"No problem," Johnny replied, smiling down at her. "I want you to know everything about me."

"Well then let's get outta here!" Alli shouted.

"All right then." They walked into the hallway and across the foyer and out the front door. Outside, Alli realized it wasn't smoky anymore.

"Ahh." She breathed in deeply. "Fresh air."

"It's good while it lasts," Johnny agreed as they began walking towards his car.

"Wait." Alli stopped as he was about to open the door for her. "Why don't we walk? Since it's so close, I thought...."

"That'll take too long. I want us to get there as soon as possible. We don't have any time to waste, anyway."

"Fine." Getting into the car, Alli wrapped her arms around her body. The sun was setting, and the sky was turning pinkish orange. It was a beautiful sight. Johnny was starting up the car now. During the short drive to the lake, Alli stared through the glass window.

All the scenery passed by slowly. People strolled with babies, friends, their spouses, animals roamed around, lost toys sat still on sidewalks... it all seemed so peaceful. She wondered how a neighborhood could appear so settled on the surface and be so violent underneath. The car came to a stop. Now Alli looked straight ahead and saw a circular mass of water in front of her. "Wow," she breathed out.

The setting sun reflected off of the water and made it seem as though it was shimmering. Johnny and Alli got out of the car. "It's amazing isn't it?" Nodding, Alli felt her mouth drop open.

Johnny guided Alli around a small hill and over to the far side of the lake. "This is my favorite spot." He sat down on a patch of grass and she took a seat next to him. "I always sat next to this rock in case I felt like hiding."

"From who?"

"From anyone... from everyone," Johnny admitted, unlacing his sneakers.

"Well, you don't have to hide from me. Like you said, we're going to know everything about each other... eventually." Rolling up the legs of his jeans, Johnny wiggled his toes. "Don't you want to dip your feet in the water? I'll tell you if it's cold."

"Of course." Removing her flats, Alli scooted closer to the edge of the lake. Her toenails were pained bright blue. She looked up and saw that the sun was almost entirely gone. Outlines of tiny hills and huge mountains cut triangles into it. The two dipped their big toes into the water at the same time. "It's just right," Alli reported, dipping both of her feet all the way into the water. Johnny did the same.

"Being out here with you, the sun setting... it feels great. At the same time, I just feel like something is missing."

"What?" Johnny inquired, splashing his feet around.

Alli breathed in. "I want... I want my parents to know about you. About _us_."

"Are you sure about that? I mean, you know they'd make you stop seeing me immediately."

"Yeah, but-"

"Alli, I can't be apart from you now. It's just too late." Her insides fluttering, Alli watched as the sun slipped out of her sight.

"What about you? Would your aunt be mad?"

"I have no idea how she'd feel because I've never introduced a girl to her as my girlfriend," Johnny said softly. "It depends with her sometimes."

"That already sounds more appealing than my parents' reactions," Alli mumbled angrily.

"It is what it is. And we'll deal with it when we get there," Johnny reassured her, pulling her closer to him.

"I don't want to wait too long," Alli confessed.

"That's a good thing. But it's also important to keep from rushing things," Johnny warned. After that, they both just sat in silence, pondering over each other's words.

Resting her head on Johnny's shoulder, Alli breathed in his scent. She wished she could go back to his trailer with him and curl up on his bed and fall asleep. Or bring him back to her nice, warm house and doze off while watching a movie. Hopefully she'd get to do that in the future. She didn't know what she'd do without him anymore.

"I've never brought anyone out here before. Now it's _our_ special place." Instead of getting all excited or throwing question after question in his direction, Alli just snuggled closer to him and sighed. Maybe this was what falling in love felt like.

* * *

I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please review and tell me your thoughts.


	4. Beaus and Arrows

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 4: Beaus and Arrows

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Delia laughed as she watched Alli trying to aim her arrow at the target which was only a mere twenty feet away.

"_Yes_," Alli snapped back, "I'm still learning is all."

"Whatever, noob. Just watch and learn." Delia took position in front of Alli and drew her arm back, almost elbowing Alli in the chest. The arrow flew towards the target and ended up landing on one of the outer rings.

"Wow," Alli laughed. "Some teacher. The bullseye is in the _middle_." Alli smirked as Delia turned around and cocked her head to one side.

"I think you better get your boyfriend," she threatened. "I wouldn't want to have to yank you up by your pretty little head and take all your brains with me." Nodding slowly, Alli pursed her lips.

"You know, I don't really care about your relationship with Reese, but he was hitting on my friend Clare at The Dot a couple of weeks before I met you guys at the ravine," Alli informed her new sworn enemy.

"Whatever. Reese only has eyes for _me_." Delia shrugged her shoulders and moved closer to the target to retrieve her arrow. With a sigh, Alli walked over to where Johnny was sitting with Bruce and Reese.

"What's wrong, Backwoods?" Johnny asked, his obvious concern plastered all over his face.

"Nothing. I just need some help showing Miss Delia who's boss." Alli sighed. Sitting down in Johnny's lap, she smiled when Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"True dat, Alli. I always wondered what Reese was doing hanging out with a chick like_ her_." Keeping his mouth closed, Reese took another sip of his beer. "I mean, she doesn't own a comb and I heard she likes it both ways." Offering her hand for a high five, Alli winked when Bruce slapped his left hand up against hers.

"Dude, at least I _have_ a girlfriend. When was the last time _you_ got laid?" Reese shot back.

"Trust me, bro. A guy can be single and get plenty of tail. My bed was rockin' _last night_." Turning towards Johnny, Alli made a face.

"Guys." Clearing his throat, Johnny rolled his eyes. "Um, we _do_ have company ya know."

"Sure," Reese mumbled, tipping his head back and emptying the rest of his beer can into his mouth.

"Since she's sitting out, can I take a turn?" Bruce wondered.

"Go ahead my boy," Johnny said, eager to make sure the fighting stopped as soon as possible. Rising from his tree stump, Bruce hiked up his jeans.

"I'm gonna go take a piss," Reese announced.

Alli removed Johnny's hat from his head. "Why do you wear this everyday?"

"Because I started wearing it when I was ten, no one said anything... and it just stuck," Johnny explained, sliding his arms around Alli's waist.

"Well, I think you'd look hotter if you didn't wear it..." Alli watched Johnny's face fall, "so much," she added.

"I could try. But it's a part of who I am. It's something I'd definitely have to get used to... not wearing a hat," Johnny admitted.

"All right," Alli agreed, putting his hat back on. "Since shooting is a hobby of yours... I want _you _to show me how to do it _right_." Standing up, Alli reached for his hand.

"Fine," Johnny grumbled, rising to his feet. They walked over to the bucket of arrows and both took one each. Since Delia was still trying to hit the bullseye, Johnny and Alli moved over to the second target.

"Okay, since Little Princess Bollywood wants a turn," Bruce joked, moving away from the area to give Johnny and Alli their space.

"For practice you probably need to start at fifteen feet," Johnny instructed. Alli walked closer to the target. Stepping behind her, Johnny placed his arms around hers. "Hold it like this," he whispered, moving her hands to the right place. "Now pull it back as far as you can," he told her, taking a step back. "And release!"

The arrow was now in the second ring from the bullseye. "Awesome!" Alli cheered, clapping her hands together. Dropping the bow to the ground, Alli turned and jumped into the arms of her boyfriend. "Thanks so much!" She pressed her lips to his cheek.

"I asked you out here so we could hang out and have fun. What were you expecting?" Johnny asked, setting Alli back down.

"I don't know... I thought there would be a lot more hooking up going on," Alli said softly, staring down at a patch of brownish grass.

"This isn't the ravine, Backwoods," Johnny said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "And we agreed that we'd never let that happen again."

"Of course," Alli replied, smiling up at him. Turning back to the target, Alli went and removed her arrow from the board and picked her bow up from the ground.

"Let me show you how it's done," Johnny suggested, moving back to the farthest tape marker. "Let the wind carry your arrow to the right place." In one swift motion, Johnny drew his arm back and aimed with one eye closed. Alli watched the arrow fly past her nose and land just to the left of the bullseye.

"Great job!" Alli applauded him. "How did you get so good?"

"Ever since Bruce and I found this abandoned lot, we've been coming here at least one weekend a month. Everything was just sitting out here and the cops never came and told us to scram, nobody who lived nearby ever came and said anything... so we figured it used to be a park."

"Cool. You have so many secret places. It must have been even more fun when you were a kid."

"Not really. It still rocks now," Johnny said. "I know you've been trying for the last hour and a half, but if you try a little longer, I'm sure you'll get it," Johnny encouraged her, walking over to remove his arrow from the board.

"I will...." Alli said with as much confidence as she could muster. "But definitely _not_ at the fifty feet mark." Chuckling, Johnny set his bow and arrow on the ground and watched as Alli stood near the ten foot marker and started to pull her arm back. At the last minute, she let go too early and the arrow fell to the ground before it had a chance to make its mark on the board.

"Don't worry about it!" Johnny yelled. "Just keep trying!" Stepping back to the fifteen foot marker, Alli drew her arm back and closed one eye like she'd seen Johnny do. Sticking the tip of her tongue out, she aimed and released. Like the speed of light, the arrow suddenly appeared on the dot in the middle of the circle.

"Oh my gosh!" Alli leaped into the air, trying to click her heels together. "Johnny you've got to come see this! I did it!"

"Great job, Alli!" Johnny pulled out his phone. "I wanna get a picture."

"Sure!" Alli squeaked, racing closer to the target. She pointed to her arrow and clapped her hand over her mouth. Johnny snapped her picture and smiled.

"You wanna take a look?" Johnny walked over and handed her his phone.

"Send it to me," Alli said quickly. Doing so, Johnny suppressed his laughter. One of the cutest things about Alli was how overexcited she could get very easily. "I'll open it when I get home."

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Johnny grabbed Alli's hand. "So, what's next Backwoods?"

"Well, since I've accomplished my goal for the day and my arms are dead tired... I think it's time for lunch," Alli proposed.

"Great!" Johnny rubbed his hands together and grinned. "I_ so_ need a beer."

"Yeah, okay. But just one," Alli said. "We came here in _your _car."

"Bruce can drive a stick, Alli. Don't go getting your panties in a bunch," Johnny joked.

"Oh, I won't," Alli insisted. "Just make sure you don't get wasted." They walked back over to the sitting area and found Bruce already snacking on some licorice.

"Where's Reese?" Johnny wondered, grabbing the bag of black twists from Bruce.

"Hmphm," Bruce mumbled, his earphones still stuck in his ears.

"Dude!" Pulling out an ear bud, Johnny yelled into Bruce's ear, "Clean your ear phones! They're all yellow and slimy!"

"Does it look like I give a shit?" Bruce shouted back. Alli took a seat on Johnny's stump and looked over to her right. Her eyes met Delia's. She was glaring at her.

"What are you looking at, Bollywood bitch? Making such a show about getting one freakin' bullseye is really immature you know." Glancing down, she pretended to examine her nails.

"Yeah, well. All you have to do is stop staring at me and you probably won't be so unhappy," Alli retorted.

"Hey, hey," came Johnny's voice, both his hands in the air. "Play nice girls."

"I will... once you break up with _her_," Delia spat.

"You're gonna have to deal with your issues, 'cause I've got a feeling she's gonna be here for a while," Johnny said confidently, winking at his girlfriend. Pursing her lips, Alli tried to keep from bursting into laughter. Delia sure was getting her nose shoved in the dirt. Sitting down next to Alli on the tree stump, Johnny thrust the bag of licorice sticks in Delia's direction. "Want one?"

"_No_," Delia griped. "Man, where the hell did Reese go?"

"To hell, where he belongs," Bruce piped up. Now it was clear to Alli that Bruce and Reese weren't exactly friends. Maybe it was because Bruce was friends with Johnny first and he was kind of jealous that Johnny was now close with a sophomore. Whatever the case, Alli thought the banter was hilarious.

"Shut it, Moose," Delia mumbled distractedly.

"Yes, boss," Bruce replied, sarcasm dripping from his words. Then the arguing was done. Alli pulled a ham and cheese sandwich from her backpack. She could never adjust to a diet of beef jerky, licorice and beer.

Biting into it, she watched as Reese appeared from the woods. "What were you doing in there?" Delia jumped up and ran over to him. Swallowing, Alli pulled out her bag of pretzels.

"Can I have a can?" She asked weakly, expecting the answer to be no. Johnny put down the bag of licorice sticks.

"No, Alli. You're barely fifteen," Johnny warned.

"So? _You've_ been drinking for a while," Alli protested.

"Believe me, I'm no alcoholic. Plus, I started drinking when I was _sixteen_."

"I don't see what the big difference is," Alli said with a huff, "but okay." For some reason, she suspected that Johnny thought she would turn into an embarrassing drunken mess after taking one sip. Sometimes he acted as though he were totally misinformed.

Taking another bite of her sandwich, Alli checked her watch. It was nearing five o' clock. She didn't have to be home until eight thirty, which was pushing it for the weekend. Usually, her parents wanted her home by seven on Saturday. Since family movie nights had become a joke to her and Sav, their parents had extended _both_ of their curfews to be fair. They were probably also grateful for the alone time they were getting.

Delia and Reese joined them and sat down on their stump, pulling out a pack of beek jerky and grabbing a beer each. They huddled together against the wind.

Alli finished off her sandwich and licked her fingers. She turned to Johnny. "Have you guys ever camped out here?" He seemed to freeze up.

"Of course not, Alli. This place is haunted during the night."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because when we all came here with Jay Hogart a few years ago, he scared the crap out of us with this old ghost story."

"Is it okay if I hear it?" Alli asked, popping a pretzel into her mouth.

"Wait until later when we roast marshmallows," said Johnny, clapping his hand onto her knee.

"All right," Alli agreed. She pushed another pretzel between her lips. Suddenly, Delia and Reese got up and left the area. "Where are they going?"

"Probably in the woods to make out," Johnny mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Wow," Alli replied unenthusiastically. Johnny looked over in Bruce's direction. He'd pulled his hat over his face. It seemed like he was asleep.

"Wanna watch some trashy cartoons?" He asked Alli.

"Do you have _Robot Chicken_?" Alli perked up.

"How could I not?" Giggling, Alli scooted closer to Johnny. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Johnny booted up his iPod.

--

Around seven, Johnny woke Bruce up and fetched Reese and Delia from between the trees. "It's time for s'mores!" Bruce yelled, his voice echoing into the forest. "Gather 'round, folks!"

All the teenagers clustered into a circle. Johnny pulled out a plastic bag and removed the chocolate bars and a jumbo bag of marshmallows. Reese passed around five sticks. "Moose, get the fire going already!" Delia shouted.

Bruce began rubbing three sticks together. The patch of grass in the middle of the circle was thick and unruly. He hovered over it and grunted. Alli saw a small spark and then a gust of wind blew it out.

"We need some brush," Johnny suggested. Delia began pulling up clumps of grass and throwing them towards Bruce. After five more minutes of effort, Bruce got another spark going and he and Johnny began blowing on it softly. Then they formed a square of sticks around it so it wouldn't spread too far.

Now everyone was settling back down and getting ready for the rest of the night to fall. Reese tore open the bag of marshmallows and passed it around. Everyone grabbed a couple and stuck them onto the ends of their sticks.

"So, who wants to tell the story for noob over here?" Delia inquired, holding her stick out farther over the fire.

"I think John should," Reese said. "I mean, she _is_ his girl after all."

"Well, let me start off by saying that I don't exactly believe this anymore," Johnny began. "But I still trust that Jay Hogart didn't get a kick out of me and the rest of the guys almost pissing our pants when we were twelve."

"Get on with it DiMarco!" Delia shouted.

"Apparently these two families used to live out here together. They were all best friends. The husbands, the wives, the kids. Then one day, the family who had lived out in these parts first was thinking about moving. One morning, the man told his wife he felt attached to this piece of land. He thought that if he left, the other family would take over and abuse the grounds for its worth."

Listening intently, Alli pulled her stick away from the fire. "What about the graham crackers?" She whined, interrupting Johnny.

"Sorry Backwoods," Johnny said sheepishly.

"Princess, you're gonna have to deal with it. That's all our pool of money could afford. My five finger discount days are over," Bruce declared.

"It's not s'mores if there are no graham crackers!" Alli shouted. "I'm trying not to be unreasonable, but-"

"You are," Delia finished for her with a tight smile.

"Whatever," Alli sighed, wedging a lightly roasted marshmallow between two pieces of chocolate. "You could have always asked me to pitch in."

"Us gentlemen don't ask females for cash." Bruce snickered.

"Can I continue?" Johnny shot daggers at Alli with his eyes, and she grimaced. Was he that mad?

"Yes," she squeaked out, sounding like a mouse.

"So he told his wife that he couldn't move because he knew something would happen to the land that had been in his family line for five generations. Something bad." After a dramatic pause, Johnny took a bite of his ghetto s'mores and smirked. "The other husband talked to his best friend, and he tried to reassure him about moving. He told him that he'd take good care of the land and he'd settle with leaving him half if he wanted to come back and visit sometimes. The first man was so angry because he couldn't believe that his best friend would be telling him to leave his family's pride and joy behind like it was an old battered toy. Now he was so upset that he told his wife that he figured it'd be best if their family cut their ties with the other family."

"Big mistake," Reese said, licking some chocolate from his index finger.

"Now the couples didn't speak and neither did the kids. The man had been told by his great-grandfather just before he died that the targets had been out there since he was a kid. As long as he could remember, they'd brought nothing but good luck to the family. No one could ever go wrong – unless they shot an arrow with angry hands."

"Ooh," Bruce taunted, waving his fingers.

"One night, the man went out to shoot arrows and he was seething. The other man went out to hunt deer. He went up behind the other man with his gun over his shoulder. He swore he'd take care of the land. The first man said he didn't care and that he wasn't leaving. And then the first man turned around and told the other man to leave. The other man put his gun over his shoulder and put his finger on the trigger. He shot the first man right in the head. The next day, the other man was mauled by a bear while hunting. A couple months later, the two widows packed up and left. Both houses were demolished."

"Spooky," Alli commented, snuggling in closer to Johnny.

"I'm not done yet," he said. "The whole reason we can't camp out here is... the two men haunt this very area every night, still arguing over the land."

"Who says? I mean, just because they both died out here doesn't mean their spirits stayed behind." _There goes Delia, opening her big yapper once again_, Alli thought. Just then, she tilted her head back and a rain drop fell right into her mouth.

"Shoot!" Johnny yelled. He, Bruce and Reese all jumped up. "It's about to start pouring!" Grabbing Alli's hand, Johnny raced towards his car, dragging her along with him. That left Bruce, Reese and Delia to grab the bags with the leftover food.

"Did you like my story?" Nodding, Alli smiled and let go of his hand.

"It was great."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Jump in!" Johnny exhaled, his cheeks turning pink. Alli quickly jumped into the front seat so she wouldn't have to sit in the back squished up against Reese and Delia again. The other three rushed up to the car, out of breath.

"Hey!" Bruce shouted. "I called shotgun the first time! I thought it was same seats on the way back," Bruce complained, sliding in behind Alli. He leaned over the back of her seat and flicked her ear.

"Can't disagree with my lady," Johnny said, sticking his key into the ignition. Alli gave him a quick kiss.

"Does it always rain after this story is told?"

"Oh yeah, those are the tears of those two men who died," scoffed Delia as Johnny began backing out of the lot.

"I wasn't_ talking_ to you," Alli grumbled, hoping that would shut her up. And it did. Or maybe it was Reese's lips.

"Well, I can't recall that it rained after Jay told it to us... but you never know." Shrugging his shoulders, Johnny turned a corner.

"Dude, I got Avenged Sevenfold tickets!" Bruce announced suddenly.

"I'm in," Reese said.

"Just me and Johnny bro," Bruce replied. Now Reese remained silent.

"Can Alli come?"

"If she's into that kind of music."

"Well?" Glancing her way, Johnny smiled. "You up for it?"

"I'll see," Alli responded warily. How would her parents feel if they knew she was being invited to a metal concert? Extremely disappointed.

They dropped Reese and Delia off first in front of an old movie theater. Johnny was the only one to say goodbye. Alli was glad she had someone on her side. Bruce thought Reese was terrible; she thought Delia was terrible. It worked out fine.

"You know, Bollywood, I think Delia's jealous of you. She wanted your man before Reese came along."

"Shut up man," Johnny grumbled.

"Just telling the truth," Bruce defended himself. Pondering over Bruce's words, Alli nodded slowly. No wonder she was always so crabby to her for no apparent reason.

After fifteen more minutes of driving, Johnny pulled up to Bruce's trailer. "See ya later, man. Bollywood," Bruce said, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut.

"Now we're alone," Alli reminded Johnny, unbuckling her seat belt and leaning towards him.

"Buckle up, Alli. I'm driving you home." His voice was stern, and Alli heaved a sigh. Refastening her seat belt, she sat back in her seat. If Johnny wanted to be difficult, let him be difficult.

Until Johnny pulled up a few houses down from hers, the rest of the ride had been silent. Leaning over again, she kissed him on the cheek. "Just go, Alli. We can't get found out."

"Fine," Alli said, opening the door and slamming it shut behind her. Although she wasn't angry, she wanted Johnny to know just how serious she was. It wouldn't be this way for much longer.

* * *

I hope you're enjoying the story so far, because it still has a long way to go. Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	5. Clippings of the Truth

"**Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 5: Clippings of the Truth

"Hello Alli," said Mrs. Edwards, opening the front door of her house. "Clare's eating lunch, but you can join her in the kitchen."

"Okay," Alli replied. "Thanks Mrs. Edwards." Upon entering her best friend's house, Alli breathed a sigh of relief. After hanging out with Johnny all last week, Alli felt relieved to have a girl to talk to.

"Hey," Alli greeted Clare, entering the kitchen and finding Clare licking Cheeto dust from her fingers.

"Hello Miss Alliana who hasn't been over in the past two months because she's too busy spending every waking moment with-you-know-who," Clare said, flipping the page of the latest edition of _Reader's Digest_.

"It's not my fault I think I'm falling in love," Alli admitted, taking the seat next to Clare. She bit down on her lower lip.

"Really?" Clare asked incredulously, all of her attention now focused on Alli. "Your greaser boyfriend could really be the one?"

Rolling her eyes, Alli sighed. She had caught the reference to the classic novel _The Outsiders_. "You read _way_ too many books, Clare."

"But seriously, I never thought you and Johnny would last more than two or three weeks at the most." Closing the magazine, Clare took a sip of lemonade. "No offense or anything."

"I mean, it's fine. Because personally, I never thought you and KC would ever get _together_," Alli retorted, a tinge of sourness in her voice.

"Yeah, it took us a while... but we're happy now." Reaching into her bowl, Clare popped a Cheeto into her mouth.

"Can I have one?" Alli asked, tapping her fingernails on the table. Before receiving an answer, Alli stuck her hand into the bowl and came up with a handful.

Swatting her hand, Clare frowned. "I haven't had a snack like this in months. I finally got a break from granola bars and cinnamon sticks, don't ruin it."

"Fine," Alli said, dropping the Cheetos. "When are we gonna raid Darcy's closet?"

"We're not going to _raid_ her closet," Clare clarified. "Since she's not coming back after Christmas break, she really wants her old clothes to be put to good use."

"Oh yeah right, like she cares where clothes that can't even fit her anymore go," Alli scoffed. She stopped to ponder over other more _interesting_ things that could be found in a teenage girl's room. "Maybe we'll find her diary," she announced, her face adopting a mischievous look.

"I'm not going to read my sister's most personal thoughts and feelings," Clare warned, chomping on the last few Cheetos.

"Well then, you're no fun. I peek into Sav's mind all the time. The non-explicit parts are the best though," Alli said with a smirk. Downing the rest of her lemonade, Clare rose from her seat and put her dish and her cup in the dishwasher.

"Come on," she said, motioning for Alli to pull herself out of her reverie and follow her to Darcy's room.

As she entered the room, Alli was taken aback. All of the pop star posters were gone, the wallpaper had been replaced, family photos had been taken down – Darcy really was going to be gone for good. Alli would miss her somewhat because she had one good quality that Clare would _never _have – fashion sense.

"So, here we go!" Clare shouted, opening the closet doors.

"Ooh!" Alli cheered, clapping her hands together. Darcy's old clothes were all very stylish, even from a distance. She couldn't wait to get her hands on them.

Pulling out hangers, Clare threw some shirts onto an old mattress that lay on the floor. Alli walked over and began sorting through them. She saw a worn out Baby Phat tank top, a pink cotton blouse and a very cute gold sequined top. After organizing the shorts, skirts, dresses and jeans into piles, Alli started rolling up belts. Then Clare checked the top shelf and Alli heard her say something.

"What was that Clare?" She asked.

"It's Darcy's special box," Clare explained, holding the box as if it were a baby.

"What's in it? Anything juicy?" Rubbing her hands together, Alli's eyes lit up. She was always on the prowl for gossip to deliver to Chante, and Chante was more than eager to snatch it up like the latest Dolce and Gabana handbag.

"I don't know," Clare said, putting a finger to her chin.

"I guess we'll just have to open it and find out," Alli suggested and Clare nodded slowly.

"I guess we will," she agreed.

Lifting the lid, Clare gasped and stared at a booklet of notes as they fell to the ground. "That's an old perfume box," Alli realized, recognizing the different compartments and getting a whiff of the fumes that rose from the collection of memories. "We could take a peek at a couple...." Alli ducked her head and laughed as Clare's green eyes narrowed into slits.

"I warned you about this," she deadpanned through her teeth. "We won't. We can't. I mean... it's _wrong_."

"Please, Clare. Don't you think that Darcy would go through some of _your_ stuff if _you_ weren't here?"

"That doesn't matter, Alli. It's just a violation of privacy. I invited you over to help me sort out her clothes and now look. I had a feeling this was going to be a bad idea."

Shrugging her shoulders in defeat, Alli sucked her teeth. Sometimes Clare acted like she had a stick up her crack and it was rather annoying. "Let's just see what else is in there and then we'll put it back," Alli suggested. "I won't touch any of the notes, I promise."

"Sure," Clare agreed, after giving Alli a hard look. "We can just skim. No harm in that, right?"

"Yeah," Alli mumbled, already pulling out more stacks of old ex-boyfriend notes and ticket stubs and shopping lists. Mall photos, computer documents and rubber bands were also removed.

"That's it?" Alli shook the box up and down, side to side and then up and down again. "Nothing else?!"

"Obviously not," Clare said, making a grab for the box to return its contents. A newspaper clipping fell out from underneath an opening under the compartments. Picking it up, Alli handed it to Clare.

"Bo-ring. Come on, let's get back to work."

"Um, I think you need to take a closer look at this," Clare informed Alli. She swallowed the small lump that had already begun forming in her throat.

"Why? Current events is your thing, Clare. And besides, we've got other stuff to do!" She pointed a finger to the mattress that was covered with clothes.

"Seriously. You need to see this," Clare insisted, handing Alli the clipped article with one eye shut. "Just don't overreact, okay?"

Looking closely, Alli read the caption to herself. Then she noticed a picture of a very handsome young blonde guy with his hair slicked back into a ponytail. In fact, there was something oddly familiar about him. Squinting just to be sure about it, Alli's mouth fell open. The guy in the picture... was_ Johnny_!

"Johnny DiMarco testified against his friend Drake Lempke on Friday at a Toronto courthouse. The two teens crashed a house party and Lempke ended up taking the life of seventeen-year-old high school senior JT Yorke. Before Lempke stabbed and killed Yorke, Yorke went outside to find DiMarco urinating on his car. Yorke cracked a joke that apparently offended Lempke so much, he murdered Yorke on the spot. Lempke and DiMarco fled the scene shortly after. Last Friday, the friendship was left hanging in the balance. DiMarco pled his case so that he would not be tried as an accessory to a crime. Lempke's sentencing will take place in October," Alli read aloud, watching the paper shake with her hand.

Clare watched as Alli's face crumpled into a ball of shame. "I can't believe this," she breathed out.

"Does it _really _surprise you that he's hiding things like this?" Bottom lip trembling, Alli set the newspaper clipping down on the bed.

"And I can't believe you'd say something like_ that_." Storming out of the room, Alli sniffled loudly. She knew that if she opened her mouth too wide she'd just start sobbing uncontrollably.

"Alli wait!" She heard Clare yell. "It's probably not as bad as you think," she tried to reassure her, following her into the hallway.

"Leave me alone!" Alli shouted back.

"You're not staying longer Alli?" Mrs. Edwards asked as Alli crossed the living room. "I mean, you've only been here for thirty minutes."

"No, I have to go. I just remembered this big project I'm supposed to be working on," Alli lied. Mrs. Edwards put down her novel and met Alli at the door.

"Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry," she commented and Alli let out a breath.

"It's my seasonal allergies. I'm fine," she lied again.

"Okay well, tell your family we said hello," Mrs. Edwards told her as she opened the door and Alli walked out.

"Will do," she said, forcing a smile. Walking down the gravelly walkway, Alli felt her heart sink. Although she had deep feelings for Johnny that weren't just going to disappear, she couldn't help but wonder if there really were too many road blocks standing in their way.

If Johnny couldn't tell her about his criminal past, then what exactly _could_ he share with her? Stopping at a corner on the street, Alli pulled out her phone and called him. Venting over the phone could prove to be therapeutic, but this particular conversation needed to be had in person.

--

"How could you not tell me something like that?" Wiping at the corners of her eyes, Alli sniffled.

"Okay, first of all, what the hell are you talking about?" Johnny wondered, his face the picture of concern.

"I'm talking about the fact that you went to a party one night, pissed on some guy's car, watched him die, fled the scene and then never told me about any of this." The well-heated McDonald's was nice and cozy, and Alli sipped her chocolate milkshake. Johnny was really going to have to dig himself out of this one.

"That happened two years ago, Alli. It doesn't matter now."

"Yes, it does. If you can't be honest with me about committing a crime, then what _can _you tell me?" Alli said, wiping at her nose with a napkin.

"First of all," Johnny began, his voice taking on a tone. Alli could tell he was upset, but she didn't care. He had some real explaining to do. This was one of the most serious things she'd ever dealt with in her life. "_I_ wasn't the one who committed the crime. It was Drake. I was barely involved."

"Yeah right, Johnny!" Taking a breath, Alli tried to calm herself down the best she could. "The article said you were there... that means you were an accessory."

"I was only a witness. Alli, you can't jump to conclusions about things like that. You didn't see the series of follow-up articles on the situation, did you?"

"No," Alli mumbled, her voice suddenly low. Staring at the black dots on the table, she thought for a moment. Why had she attacked Johnny? Being so aggressive about something she'd seen in a newspaper article wasn't necessary.

"Okay then," Johnny replied. He was trying hard to be patient with Alli, but sometimes her sensititivy made his testosterone level shoot through the roof.

"I'm sorry." She sounded like a mouse, so tiny and squeaky you thought it was just the sound of your sneaker rubbing against a newly mopped floor.

"What?" He scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "Don't be. Since you're the one who called me over here and basically shoved me against the wall... I'm guessing _I'm_ the one who should be sorry."

"What do you mean _should_? You need to apologize because you mean it, Johnny, not because you feel like you _have_ to."

"Look Backwoods, I warned you about my past before anything ever happened. Don't blame me because you're just finding out about this now."

"Why _shouldn't_ I?" Alli snapped back. "This is something you should have told me in the beginning." Wiping at her nose again, Alli sighed. "To see if I still wanted to go out with you."

"That_ one_ thing could tear apart this whole relationship?" Studying her, Johnny felt his nostrils flare. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but it did. Right now, Alli was stirring up his emotional pot. He was angry, hurt, sad and happy all at once. No other girl could make him work for anything like Alliana Bhandari could.

"Yes," Alli whispered, and Johnny thought he felt the fine blonde hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention. So it was really over. One little mistake he'd made when he was fifteen and a half had ruined this whole thing. Alli couldn't handle it.

"So should I leave?" He wondered, staring directly at her with his beautiful emerald orbs.

"No," she protested, reaching for his hand. He felt a smile trying to take over his features. She really did still want him. She couldn't fight it. "You're my ride home." Now he couldn't hold it back and he was beaming.

"So much for epic romance," he mumbled.

"This isn't one of those crappy soap operas, Johnny. It's _real_ life."

Sitting back down, Johnny sighed and dug into his pockets. "I really need a smoke."

"Way to make me feel any better about this whole ordeal," Alli said with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm not trying to be an asshole, Backwoods. You just make me act like one sometimes."

Scrunching her eyebrows together, Alli jeered. "How?"

"Well, you say things under your breath and roll your eyes and suck your teeth... those things turn me on. They don't make me mad. I just start to get a little hot and bothered, that's all."

"You perverted son of a gun!" Alli said, kicking him under the table.

"Ha ha ha," Johnny said, even though he knew the comment would make Alli want to laugh.

"So, now that we've cooled down... tell me exactly what happened – start to finish, no sugar coating."

"Right...." Johnny said, biting down on his bottom lip. "Okay. Here goes."

"Yeah...." Alli said, lifting the lid off of her cup. She began mixing the remains of her chocolate milkshake around.

"Why do you do that?" Johnny asked, watching as she began drinking the milkshake straight from the cup instead of through the straw.

"Because I get bored after awhile and need to change things."_ Whoo_, Johnny thought. _Got out of that one easy.... _

"Nice try. Changing the subject won't work on me." _Not so fast, bucko. _

"Darn, are you sure you wanna know all the gritty details?"

"Yep."

"You sure sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sure sure sure?"

"Come on, Johnny. If you don't start talking in about three seconds, I'll kick you somewhere_ else_."

"All right, all right," Johnny grumbled, crossing his legs extra tight. "Me and Drake, we heard about this party...."

"From who?" _Gosh, Alli was already interrupting._

"I think it was some sort of blast on Manny's MyRoom page."

"And Manny is?"

"This hot girl I never got the chance to bone."

"Wow. Be happy your legs are crossed."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"Continue."

"Well, we decided to crash it."

"I had a feeling you weren't _supposed_ to be there."

"Just let me talk, Alli."

"Okay fine," she agreed, flicking her straw at him. Johnny felt a cold splash land near his right nipple. He shivered.

"That shit was really cold, Alli."

"Watch your mouth!"

"I'm sorry. I just can't be whipped. I'm not a little bitch like Aaron."

"Oh shut up. I would never try to take away your pride. I don't have a stick up my crack like that."

"Well, good. Now I can go on."

"Sure."

"We show up and Spinner and Jay are already down our throats about the fact that we're from Lakehurst. So we tell them to eff off and they do. We were hanging out for awhile, just getting wasted and looking to get laid. And then Drake gives this stupid nerdy kid that shouldn't have been there either a beer that he'd already shaken up. It explodes in his face and I'm thinking, "some peace offering," and then Spinner and Jay are back again, grabbing at our shirts and trying to peg us."

"So how did someone end up dying in all this?" Alli wondered, her eyes growing wider and wider as Johnny added detail after detail. She felt like she was watching a movie.

"I'm getting to it," Johnny told her. "Be patient." Shoving his hands into his pockets again, he licked his lips. "After Spinner and Jay were up our asses again, they kicked us out. We were beyond pissed. We decided that we were going to get some form of revenge. So we saw somebody's car parked out front, and Drake dared me to take a piss on it. So I did."

"Why?"

"For kicks because I was still a virgin... and I was pissed about that, too."

"Big mistake."

"Then the guy comes out looking for the chick whose birthday it _really _was and Drake wanted to do something, but I pulled my pants up and tried to signal to him to leave the toothpick alone."

"But he didn't listen."

"You guessed it. So the guy says something and Drake and I keep quiet. Then he says something else and I remember rolling my eyes."

"How can you recall such a minute detail?"

"After watching this dude get literally stabbed in the back, I could never forget anything that happened that night or even for the rest of 2007."

"Okay."

"Drake got so offended or whatever, he pulled out a pocket knife and raced up behind the guy. Stabbed him and all I could do was watch in horror. And all I could say was, "Man, what'd you do?" Pausing for a moment, Johnny twiddled his thumbs and cleared his throat. Alli figured he was nervous. It was obvious she cared about these kinds of things, so he had to make sure he cared now.

"Then I remembered what Jay told me and Bruce and Luke and Drake about crime scenes after what happened to Sean. I hesitated for like a second and then we both took off. The way the blood was gushing I knew he was going to die. I wasn't surprised when I saw it on the eleven o' clock news that night. The fact that I was there and saw that shit go down... that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life." Running his hands over his face, Johnny sighed. Alli's seal of approval had yet to come.

"Wow. That's so sad. How did you feel afterwards?"

"I was scared shitless. I went home and started shaking on the couch. Then I puked about six different times and locked myself in my room. I couldn't tell my aunt or Aaron or anyone for that matter. I wanted to call Drake and see if he'd been found out yet, but I assumed he was gonna try to rat me out anyways, so I didn't."

"What about the court hearing and stuff?"

"Well, I played it cool until the next day when the call came. It was the cops and they told my aunt that someone had identified me at the scene of the crime."

"Was she upset?"

"Of course. But she did make sure it wasn't my fault and all that. Then I went down to the police station for questioning. I told them all I knew."

"So you had to testify against one of your friends? How did that feel?"

"I liked to hang out with Drake, but I didn't really consider him a friend. He was just a hothead and too unpredictable at times."

"Did you ever see him after that?"

"Yeah, after the sentencing. And then I went to visit him in jail because all of our other friends wouldn't. We talked on the phone through a glass shield thingy, like you see on TV. He kept telling me to go suck a dick. He was acting like I'd walked free from something that _I'd_ actually done. To this day, he still swears that he did nothing. I was the one who killed that guy and he had the weapon because he was holding it for me. Even though the judge said otherwise, he's still maintaining his innocence."

"Why?"

"He wants to think that somebody still cares."

"That's terrible, though. He lost all the people he loved," Alli said, starting to feel some sympathy for the antagonist.

"I really don't think Drake ever loved anyone, Alli. That's why that guy is dead."

"Well, okay... how did you move on?"

"Well, my aunt made me waste my entire winter break on some juvy program. It seems like every time a nice long break rolls around she always has somewhere else for me to be."

"For a good reason."

"Listen, Alli. Please don't give up on me because of that. You know how I feel about you. You know we're falling in love."

Smiling, Alli sat up straighter in her chair. Her insides were bubbling over with joy. This wall that had been up before was slowly being knocked down. It was great that Johnny was opening up to her – about _everything_. No holding back. No more mysterious bad boy.

She was glad they were crossing a line that most girls her age couldn't cross. It meant she was mature. More mature than Clare was with KC, probably even more mature than Anya was with Sav. "Thanks for telling me all that you know. It makes me feel special."

"Don't ever _not_ feel special when you're with me, Alli." Flashing her his pearly whites, a flashbulb seemed to come on over his head. "Speaking of special," he said, removing a black jewelry box from his camouflage vest. "Will you take it this time... please?"

"It's the necklace that you gave me after...." She couldn't finish her sentence. Neither of them felt comfortable discussing this.

"Yeah," Johnny said.

"It's beautiful," Alli whispered, fingering the charm.

"I'll put it on for you," Johnny offered, getting up and positioning himself behind her. Handing him the necklace, Alli said, "Thank you so much. I hope you forgive me for not accepting it the first time."

"You know it's impossible to say no to you, right?" Johnny said, fastening it around her neck. Even though they were in a McDonald's, Johnny wanted this to be their spot.

Leaning down closer to her, he whispered, "I love you," right in her ear so she couldn't miss it. Then he pressed a kiss just to the side of her neck leading down to her chin. Turning around, Alli grasped his left hand in hers.

"I love you, too," she responded, unsure of her words.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and if not, remember: **don't** favorite or alert!


	6. Maturity's Age

Thanks to all the readers who helped this story get 1,000+ hits. Also, thanks for the seven reviews I got for the last chapter! Keep it up and I'll try to update more often.

* * *

"**Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 6: Maturity's Age

"What we said... last time, did you mean it?" Alli inquired, blinking up at Johnny with her large chocolate brown eyes.

"Of course I did, Alli," Johnny told her, his tone now serious. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." Folding her hands on top of the picnic table, Alli smiled warily. She could tell that Johnny_ had_ in fact meant what he said and she didn't want to disappoint him with her uncertainties. I've never said that to a girl before," Johnny said, placing his hands over hers. The wind blew some of Alli's hair over her shoulder and she took a long breath. If she had been so adamant about keeping honesty at the top of their relationship requirements, she had to tell Johnny the truth.

"This might sound weird," she began, "but I do love you... I'm just not positive I'm exactly sure how to _define_ love. I'm still figuring it out."

"That's okay, Alli. You're not even fifteen yet. I didn't want to pressure you into saying something you weren't ready to say, but... I'm glad it wasn't terribly awkward."

"I know this is going very smoothly as we talk about more things and handle ourselves like adults, but did you say it at that time because we'd just been fighting?"

"No, Alli. Definitely not. I said it because after I told you about Drake and how that guy died, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. You handled all that deep stuff real well, and I was proud of you. At that moment, I knew that I had to pull the necklace out and tell you exactly how I was feeling."

Pursing her lips, Alli wrapped her jacked tighter around her body. "I'm glad you decided to ask me about it, Backwoods. It just made me love you even more," Johnny said, leaning across the table and pressing his lips to hers.

"Thanks for understanding," Alli said, pulling away. When the warning bell rang, Alli stood up and Johnny did the same. They held hands as they crossed the street and walked up the steps to Degrassi. Upon entering the building, Alli and Johnny began walking down the hallway towards their locker banks.

Just as they came to a stop at Johnny's locker, Sav walked past with Danny and Peter. Ducking her head, Alli placed her hand over her forehead. Hoping Sav hadn't seen them, she dropped Johnny's hand. He began twisting his combination lock and Sav stopped short a few feet away.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my kid sister and... _Johnny DiMarco_," Sav announced, as Danny and Peter walked on. "So... what's going on here, Alli?"

"Nothing," she said. "Not that it's your business anyway."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it _is_ my business. Since I can always tell two very important people if anything fishy is going on. Right?"

"Nothing _fishy_ is going on," Alli said sternly. "Now leave us alone."

"I'm concerned about your safety, Alli. You know you're too young to be dating... especially when you're going out with someone like _him_."

"Johnny is a great guy and he's my_ friend_. That's_ it_." Removing his books from the top shelf, Johnny slammed his locker door shut, startling both Sav and Alli.

"Look dude, I know that you want the best for your sister and that's fine, I understand. I feel the same way about my brother."

"Where is this going, Johnny?" Sav demanded.

"Long story short, I think it's up to Alli who she hangs out with," Johnny explained.

"Not when it's guys like _you_," Sav spat.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Johnny yelled.

"It _means_ that I thought I told you to stay away from my sister after that camping trip," Sav shouted, stepping closer to Johnny.

"And _I _thought that that was like eight months ago," Johnny yelled back.

Now they were both standing so close to each other they could probably smell each other's breath. "Stay away from my sister, punk!" Sav demanded, pushing Johnny up against his locker.

"Stop you guys! Please don't fight," Alli pleaded, staring at Johnny's clenched fists. She could tell he was super pissed, so she stepped between them. Both boys were huffing and puffing, their broad shoulders rising and falling steadily.

As much as Johnny wanted to sock Sav in the jaw or put him in a headlock for about five minutes, he knew that fighting wouldn't solve anything. Especially if he wanted to score points with Alli's family. Somebody must have heard all the commotion and called an administrator.

"Everything okay over here boys?" Coach Armstrong asked.

"Yeah," Sav said, glancing at Alli again before giving Johnny a death glare. "I was just leaving," he said before turning and walking down the hallway.

After Coach Armstrong left, Alli looked up at Johnny. "Thanks for not beating my brother up. 'Cause I know you wanted to."

"Yeah, I kinda did," Johnny admitted, picking up his Anatomy and Geometry books from off the floor. "But since I love you, I guess I'm going to have to at least learn to_ like_ your brother."

"Maybe. But we'll figure it out later," Alli suggested.

"Okay. Well, let me walk you to class," Johnny said, and they linked arms and began walking down the hallway.

--

Alli kissed Johnny goodbye at the door and walked into her chemistry class. She sat at the back right desk with KC, her lab partner. "Good morning," she greeted him, and he smiled at her.

"Hey," KC said, waving at her.

"So, how is your girlfriend lately?" Alli wondered. She still hadn't spoken to Clare since the incident at her house involving the newspaper article about Johnny.

"You mean you don't know?" KC said, clapping his left hand over his mouth.

"Well, I mean-" Alli began, recalling the harsh words that had been exchanged during their mini-fight on Saturday.

"Yeah, she told me that you guys got into an argument over the weekend," KC told her. "Over_ your_ boyfriend."

"We were in Darcy's room and I was so insistent on going through her stuff and we saw this newspaper article that had Johnny in it. I was very upset and she said something to make it worse," Alli explained, remembering how angry she'd been when she'd stormed out of the Edwards' home.

"Look, it doesn't even matter what she said, Alli. I know Clare would never intentionally hurt you," KC reassured her with a warm smile.

"That's why I got even more upset," Alli said softly, resting her chin in her palm. "I just never thought Clare would want to make me feel worse about something like that."

KC sighed. "I really think you should talk to her. You can always call her if you're not ready to face her yet."

"You're giving me some great advice, but I don't know why," Alli said, making a face.

"I care, Alli," KC said. "That's why. You're one of my friends _and_ you're my girlfriend's best friend. I hate to see you upset."

"That gives me somewhat of a boost." Alli smiled and gave KC's shoulder a squeeze.

"She told me everything and she said she felt really bad after you left her house. She tried to call and apologize, but she could never get ahold of you."

Taking a breath, Alli pursed her lips. KC wouldn't bother to lie about things like this. The bell signaling the start of first period shrilled loudly. Mr. Elizondo buttoned up his lab coat and told the class to go and get their goggles from their stations.

Alli and KC were only half listening, though. "Ms. Bhandari and Mr. Guthrie, stop daydreaming about each other and get to work!" Both KC and Alli rose from their chairs and smirked at each other as they went to retrieve their goggles.

--

"Guess what, Backwoods?" Johnny asked as he came up behind Alli at her locker.

"What?" She said, not wanting to seem impatient.

"I have somewhere special to take you tonight," he announced.

"Where? And what do you mean by _tonight_?" Alli wondered, closing her locker and turning to face him.

"Well, this afternoon, evening, whatever. You know what I mean." Licking his lips, Johnny frowned. "I thought you'd be more excited about this, Alli."

He pouted, his lower lip protruding so far out that Alli actually started to feel bad. "I _am_, Johnny. It's just that... I had a talk with KC today."

"Uh-oh, should I be worried?" Johnny teased, poking her in the abdomen.

"No," Alli said, laughing. "I had a fight with Clare after we found that newspaper article. I've just been thinking about what I should say to her, that's all."

"Cool. I hope you put that aside long enough to have a couple hours of fun with me."

"Sure," Alli agreed. Johnny leaned in for a kiss, but she turned away.

"Are you positive that's the only thing that's bothering you?" Johnny wrinkled his eyebrows together.

"No," Alli whispered. "You and Sav almost got into a fist fight this morning. He _can't_ see us together," she warned. "Then he'll tell our parents and we'll never be able to see each other at all."

"Don't say that, Alli. I can't imagine having to say goodbye to you."

"I know, Johnny. It's hard for me too, but we're going to have to deal with it."

"Let's go," Johnny suggested, his best effort at changing the subject. He draped an arm around Alli's shoulder and lead her towards the front doors of Degrassi.

They walked to the student parking lot in silence. Alli was lost in thought. What if Sav was already planning out how he was going to tell their parents about her and Johnny? She realized that she did in fact love Johnny. At the end of the day, she wanted to fall asleep having thoughts about him and wake up thinking about him, too.

Tears slid down her cheeks and she let a sob escape her throat. They came to a stop in front of Johnny's car. "You're not getting in if you're gonna cry," Johnny mumbled. He hated seeing anyone cry – not just girls. Even though Aaron was barely two when their parents had left, he had cried practically everyday for two weeks after they were gone. Crying was not something anyone seemed to_ like_ or _want_ to do, but Johnny hated it as much as he hated his parents.

"I don't _want_ to feel this way," Alli choked out, rubbing at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "It's just... my parents _should_ know but they _can't_."

"Please Alli, just forget about that while we're at Dom's. Just until you get home."

"Okay," Alli agreed, forcing a smile. They both got in the car. "Um... I have a question," Alli said, turning towards Johnny.

"Remember that concert you asked me to go to?"

"Yeah." Johnny nodded slowly. "How could I forget?"

"Well, when is it?"

"Friday at eight."

"'Til when?"

"Shoot," he mumbled, hitting the steering wheel with both hands. "That's what I was forgetting about."

"I can always tell them that Anya invited me over for homework help," Alli proposed.

"Have you ever stayed the night at her house before?"

"No," Alli replied. "Why?"

"Don't you think that'll make them suspicious....?"

"Hopefully not," Alli said, buckling her seat belt. "Can I... can I spend the night with you on Saturday then?"

"Wow," Johnny said. "You know I can't afford a hotel room, right?"

"That's fine. I just... I just want to meet your aunt still."

"She spends all day Saturday and Sunday in the city with her rich boyfriend."

"So?"

"She comes back Saturday night and by the time Aaron and I wake up, she's already gone again."

"So we basically have the whole house to ourselves if we exclude your annoying brother?" Alli wondered, placing her hand on his upper thigh.

"That shouldn't mean anything, but you bet," Johnny confirmed, smiling. They kissed briefly, and then Johnny stuck the key in the ignition and let the car warm up.

"So, is Dom's safe for minors?" Alli asked as Johnny pulled out of the parking spot.

"It's a freaking teen club, Alli. Thirteen and up."

"Just checking," Alli told him. "I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Trust me, you already have Backwoods," Johnny said, smirking.

--

When they arrived at Dom's, Bruce and some girl were waiting for them at a table. "What's crack-a-lackin'?" Bruce said, getting up to shake Johnny's hand and slap him on the back. "Yo Princess," Bruce added, slipping his arm around Alli's shoulder briefly. "This is Shannon," he announced, pointing to the girl sitting to his right.

"Hello," Johnny said.

"Hi," Alli squeaked.

She and Johnny took the seats across from Bruce and Shannon. Alli looked around, wondering why the pool hall was so smoky. This looked and felt like a _real_ bar. "Are you sure I'm allowed to be here?" Alli whispered so only Johnny could hear.

"Did they check for ID's at the door?" Johnny asked.

"No," she replied, glancing up at the wall.

"Well, then just sit back and relax," Johnny reassured her, throwing his arm over her shoulder. "So Shannon. How did you and Moose Man over here meet?" Johnny asked.

"We were at Sporange doing community service at the same time," Shannon said, batting her eyelashes at Bruce. The light shining down on her head made it glow a fiery red-orange.

Chuckling, Johnny slapped the table with his free hand. Bruce looked away. "What's Sporange?" Alli asked softly.

"Basically a gay club," Johnny told her.

"Oh," Alli realized, smirking at Bruce.

"Shut up Johnny," Bruce demanded through his teeth.

"There are other places to make sure you get your community service, Bruce," Johnny informed him. "There's the gym, the nursing home, National Aid...." He ticked them all off on his fingers.

"I said shut up, John."

"There's nothing wrong with Bruce volunteering at Sporange," Shannon piped up. "It's a little on the feminine side, but at least he cares about female athletes."

Looking down into his lap, Johnny coughed loudly. He was afraid that if he laughed anymore, he'd pee his pants. "Hey, I want a refill!" Shannon called over to a waiter, so Johnny and Alli ordered Cokes for themselves and a basket of fries for the table.

"So John, you show her the card yet?" Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"No, actually, I haven't," Johnny said slowly, pulling out his wallet. "But here it is," he passed a laminated white card over to Alli. It was kind of hard to read in the dim light, but she examined it as best as she could.

"What is this?" She asked, after reading through all the false information.

"It's a fake ID," Johnny responded, keeping his voice low. "For the concert."

"I can always not go," Alli suggested, "if I'm going to be that much of a burden."

"We already have your ticket in and you are _not_ being a burden."

"Okay, but this isn't me. My name is not Miranda Suarez. I'm not Hispanic. You're stripping me of my true heritage."

"Not on purpose. Just deal with it, Alli." She could tell he was getting frustrated, so she dropped the subject. It still mattered to her, though. She was disrespecting her culture and it wasn't right.

"What do you think, Bollywood? Up to standard for ya?" She made a face at Bruce and slipped the card into her purse.

"What about you, Shannon? Are you going to the concert?"

"Nah. I have a book club meeting that day." Gosh, Alli thought, did this chick know who Bruce really was?

The waiter came back with the basket of fries and the Cokes. Alli and Johnny began sipping their drinks immediately while Bruce and Shannon dug into the basket of fries.

"So Alli, how old are you?" Shannon inquired out of the blue.

"Sixteen," Alli lied, wondering why Shannon had asked in the first place.

"Well, you're not that young to be dating him...." Johnny shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"No, she's very mature for her age," Johnny said with a wink. Alli grabbed a fistful of fries and began feeding them to Johnny.

"I sure am," Alli agreed. Johnny finished off his Coke and ate the rest of the fries. Alli slurped up the last of her soda and began cracking the ice in her mouth.

"Wanna shoot some balls?" Bruce asked. The rest of them decided it'd be cool to give it a shot, so they got up and paid for some sticks.

Since Johnny and Bruce came her often, they were experts at scoring points and keeping track of things like that. Shannon tried to keep up with Bruce, but she kept aiming for the blue ball and hitting other ones.

When it was Alli's second turn, Johnny ran his hands over her backside in an effort to distract her. It worked. "Ah!" Her pool stick went flying out over the table and sent several balls in all different directions. "I suck at this," Alli concluded. "I'll just watch."

"Fine, but don't wander off," Johnny warned.

"What would I be doing, flirting with all the other older hot teenage boys I could?" Alli joked, flashing some of her hair over her shoulder. Johnny didn't seem to be amused, though.

Alli pulled up a chair and watched as Johnny began kicking Bruce's ass at pool. Shannon hung back on the sides, popping her bubblegum and hitting Bruce with the pool stick every time he messed up. Alli covered her mouth while she yawned. She was glad that Johnny felt secure enough to bring her to a place like this. It was great. There really were no boundaries between them anymore.

After watching colored balls go from one area of the board to the other for the next forty-five minutes, Alli began to get bored. Glancing up at a catfish clock on the wall, she realized that it was almost seven o' clock.

"It's nearly seven," Alli said in a sing-song voice. "Sorry to cramp your style, but I think it's time I get home."

"No worries, Princess. At least Johnny's getting laid now," Bruce said, laughing.

"Shut up, Bruce," Johnny grumbled, and Alli looked away. Why did people always assume that the closest and more serious of couples were engaging in sexual intercourse? It wasn't always like that.

"Well, see ya later man. Princess," Bruce said, and he gave Johnny a pat on the back.

"Bye," Shannon chirped, so Johnny and Alli waved at her before exiting Dom's.

"It's kind of chilly," Alli said. Johnny removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Thanks," she said, "but aren't you cold?"

"Don't worry about me, Alli. I can blast the heat in the car... it's no big deal."

"Okay," Alli began once they were in the car. Johnny pulled out of the parking lot and snapped on Five Finger Death Punch.

"I'm listening," he said, tossing her a quick glance.

"You don't have to let me off, like, two blocks away from my house anymore," she told him. "We were just being paranoid. It's not like my parents are sitting out on the porch waiting for me when I get home."

"What if they see me, though? You're gonna have to go through some sort of interview and then you'll be upset."

"I don't care, Johnny. They can question me all they want. I'm not going to try and say that we're just friends. I'm going to _make_ them understand."

"Whatever you say, Alli," Johnny mumbled, turning onto her street.

"No, you don't understand," Alli complained. "I want you to take a walk with me; come see my house."

"What?" Johnny asked, stopping at a stop sign.

"From the outside, dummy."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Johnny wondered, coming to a stop near a vacant lot.

"Just trust me, okay?" Alli pleaded, unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car.

"Fine," Johnny said, also getting out of the car. They held hands as they walked up the street, and Alli pointed out older houses and brand new ones. "There are great places around here that we could hang out at," Johnny commented and Alli nodded.

"The only problem is, Sav would be patrolling the neighborhood in his car if he knew you were around these parts." Alli sighed. Johnny squeezed her hand and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Quit pouting. You're not a model," he joked.

"Whatever you say," Alli replied, unable to hide her smile. "There it is!" She shouted, pointing to her house up ahead. Now there was a slight bounce in her step, and Johnny struggled to keep up.

"It's not some freaking celebrity, slow down!" He laughed.

"It's just... I've wanted to invite you over plenty of times, forgetting that I can't."

"Well, I really don't think your parents will ever want to meet me, but who knows?" Johnny shrugged.

"They will. Because you're a good person and we'll both make sure they're aware of that," Alli told him.

Stopping on the sidewalk directly in front of her house, Alli showed him where her room was (upstairs), where the living room was, where the bathroom was, and where the entertainment room was located.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him goodbye, but she would later find out that someone was watching the whole thing from between the curtains.

* * *

I hope you're enjoying this story. Thanks to the people who have been following it since chapter one. Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	7. Falling Out of Place

**In response to Sarah and sammy may cullen's review/PM: **Yes, I do realize that Alli's name on the show is Allia Bhandari. All misspellings are on purpose. I changed her name to Alliana because my name is similar and because I hate when someone has a nickname when their name is so short in the first place. Also, Reese's girlfriend's real name is Grace, but I changed it to Delia. Just letting you guys know in case you were wondering why or if it was bothering you. I never addressed that, so thanks for pointing it out!

* * *

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 7: Falling Out of Place

Alli sat at the dinner table picking at her beans and rice. Saturday dinners were always the least fancy because she and Sav went out on the weekends now. As she pushed a couple of beans to one side of her plate, Alli felt Sav watching her with his beady brown eyes. She knew that Sav had made his prayer extra long because he was onto her.

Ever since his altercation with Johnny at school on Tuesday, Alli felt like Sav had an extra eye on her. Scooping up the rice and beans and shoving the spoonful into her mouth, Alli swallowed hard. Although she couldn't say that she was nervous, all she could think about was Johnny, the concert, and all that could happen between tonight and the next morning.

She and Johnny hadn't done anything borderline intimate since she'd went to his trailer and met his brother, which had been almost a month prior. It was time to spice things up again, and she'd do whatever she had to. Excusing herself from the table wasn't an option, so Alli struggled to finish her dinner. All the while she hadn't been paying any attention whatsoever to the conversations going on at the table.

She knew her parents had been talking about some classical show they wanted to go see. She'd been so self-involved since she'd gotten up that morning that she was just now considering what she could ask her parents about. Just as she was going to ask her dad about how he planned to redo the garage, he spoke instead. "So Alliana, any plans for tonight?"

Alli froze. "No father," she said as evenly as possible. She didn't want to change her tone of voice and have her parents think she was up to something.

"No movies, nothing at all?" He said, taking a sip of his white wine.

"No father," Alli insisted with a tight smile.

"What about Clare?" Mrs. Bhandari piped up. "You haven't spent any time with her in a while. What is going on?"

Looking up, Alli saw Sav's Adam's apple bob up and down. He was definitely antsy and wanted to say something. Raising her eyebrows, Alli turned towards her mother. "Nothing is going on with Clare," Alli replied. "I have other friends too you know."

"That's fine. I was just curious," her mother explained. Taking another bite of her food, Alli glared at Sav across the table. If he found out anything between now and seven thirty, there was no doubt he would spill the beans. She had to make sure the plan worked out perfectly. As her father rose from the table with his plate in hand, Alli scooped up the rest of her dinner and shoved the spoon into her mouth.

Washing the food down with a long sip of water, Alli cleared her throat. "Thanks for the dinner mother." Standing, she took her plate and cup and walked into the kitchen. Her father was pouring himself another glass of wine when she put her plate, cup and eating utensils in the dishwasher.

Almost colliding with Sav as she exited the kitchen, Alli sighed. She knew he was going to be bombarding her with questions in the next five minutes. Walking down the hallway to her room, Alli pulled her hair out of the scrunchies and stepped into the bathroom she'd been forced to share with Sav. Grabbing her makeup pouch, she unzipped it and checked to make sure all her materials were inside.

As soon as she was confident she had everything she needed, Alli opened the bathroom door to find Sav standing there. "Do you not have anything better to do?" She snapped, pushing past him.

"I know you lied to them," he declared, grabbing her arm. "What are you _really_ doing tonight, Alli?"

"Nothing. I'm going to sit in my room and read _Wuthering Heights_ or something." Turning back around Alli yelled over her shoulder, "And even if I did have plans, they'd be nothing concerning _you_!"

Slamming her bedroom door, she walked over to her closet and pulled out the outfit she'd be wearing to the concert. A nice, fitted, black belly shirt, skinny jeans and boots. She was going to look unbelievably hot – just for Johnny.

Grabbing her favorite shoulder bag from out of the closet, Alli began folding up her clothes and packing them in. She figured she wouldn't need pajamas when she was at Johnny's place. She could always wear his clothes and she was pretty sure he wouldn't object to her sleeping in her undergarments....

After her bag was packed, Alli grabbed her towel and went back into the bathroom to take a hot shower. When she came out, she put on a pair of jeans shorts and a worn tank top. Going back to her room, Alli pulled her closet door open and pulled out a hoodie. Now all she had to do was wait for the call from Anya.

It was nearly six thirty. Running a comb through her newly trimmed hair, Alli checked her teeth in the mirror. Popping a breath mint into her mouth, Alli smiled when the phone rang. Although she hadn't planned to let Sav answer it, she figured he'd get a shock when Anya asked to talk to _her_. Sav knocked on her door.

"Phone!" He shouted. Another thought crossed Alli's mind – she could have always told Anya to call her cell phone... if it hadn't been taken away last week. "Anya wants to ask you something," Sav said, thrusting the phone into her hands.

"Thanks," Alli said, taking the phone and closing her bedroom door behind her. "Hey," she said softly. "Are we still going with the plan?"

"Yeah. Homework help. Sleepover. Is your dad still dropping you off?"

"Yeah, as long as Sav doesn't stick his nose in my business."

"It's kinda weird keeping this from Sav... he_ is_ my boyfriend after all," Anya said uneasily.

"Don't worry. You're being a friend to me. That's important, too."

"Yeah, well, see you in a few minutes," Anya said.

"Okay," Alli agreed, clicking off.

Walking into the living room, Alli ran over the speech in her head one last time. "Mother, father... Anya asked me for homework help. I figured since it's so late I might as well sleepover," Alli told them, twiddling her thumbs.

"Oh, that is the girl that Sav is courting, yes?" Alli's father said, sitting up straighter in his chair. Rolling her eyes at her dad's old time lingo, Alli sighed.

"Yes father."

"Well, I suppose that's a good idea. You won't be around here moping about; you'll have something to do." Smiling at her, Mr. Bhandari nodded. "Go pack your overnight bag."

"Yes!" Alli said, pumping her fist in the air. She had to feign excitement so her dad wouldn't change his mind. Returning to her room, Alli ruffled through the clothes in her closet, pretending to find something to wear.

If she came out with a fully packed bag too quickly, her parents and Sav would definitely have raised eyebrows. After rearranging some perfume bottles on her nightstand and checking her teeth and hair in the mirror again, Alli slung her bag over her shoulder. Walking out the door, Alli sauntered in the direction of the living room.

Sav and her parents were waiting. "I was going to drop you off," Mr. Bhandari announced, "but I guess your brother owes his girlfriend a visit."

"Fine," Alli mumbled, exiting the house. "Bye mother, bye father."

"Okay," Sav began, once they were outside. "I'm going to ask you again. What is really going on?"

"Anya can be your girlfriend and my friend too, ya know," Alli griped, climbing into the car. Sav hopped into the driver's seat and stuck the key in the ignition.

"When was the last time you saw Johnny?" He inquired. When Alli didn't respond, Sav leaned back in his seat and sighed. "I won't start the car until you tell me."

"Tuesday at school. The last time you saw him."

"So this isn't some kind of funny plot where you go meet up with him God knows where?"

"Look Sav, this has nothing to do with Johnny. He has a girlfriend... that _isn't_ me. We were only hanging out because I was helping him with his chemistry project."

"You know what?" Sav said. "I'm gonna believe you."

"Well, good because you have no reason not to."

"I'm hoping so...." Sav said under his breath as he looked over his shoulder, backing out of the driveway. During the car ride across town to Anya's, Sav put a crappy Stüdz demo tape on repeat. Finally, Alli pulled out her iPod and shoved her ear phones into her ears.

Five minutes later, Sav pulled into a parking space in Anya's apartment complex. She was an only child raised by a single mother who worked hard to support her. Right now, her mother was working a double shift at the nursing home.

Getting out of the car, Alli slammed the door extra hard, hoping to really stick it to Sav. To her suprise, Alli heard the driver's side door close, too. "What are you doing?" Alli yelled, stopping dead in her tracks.

"Anya is my girlfriend whether she's your friend or not," Sav replied tartly, shoving his car keys into his back pocket. Alli rung the doorbell and folded her arms across her chest. When Anya opened the door, she smiled at Alli.

"Hey!" She squealed, and then she saw Sav appear in the doorway. "Sav... um, what are you doing here?"

"The real question is: Why can't_ I_ help you with your homework?" Sav wondered, stepping inside. Alli liked the warm, homey feeling of Anya's apartment even though she'd never been there before.

"Look Sav," Anya said closing the front door and leading him over to the couch. "Me and Alli planned this out because we both needed a girls' night. I mean, we just wanted to hang out, watch chick flicks, do each other's nails... you know – strictly girl stuff?"

"Well sure but...." Alli didn't know what Sav said next. It was almost seven ten, and Johnny would be picking her up in the next twenty minutes. From the hallway, Alli watched as Anya kissed Sav tenderly. It was kind of sweet at first, but then Anya wrapped her arms around his neck and they leaned back into the couch.

"Gross," Alli muttered under her breath. Then Anya and Sav walked hand in hand to the door. When he was finally gone, Alli squealed. "Finally, you got _rid_ of him!"

"Yeah," Anya said sadly. "He _is _my boyfriend though, Alli. It's kind of hard keeping something like this from him."

"Don't make yourself feel all guilty," Alli said, reaching for her hand. "Just help me get ready!"

"Okay, okay," Anya agreed, as Alli dragged her into the spare room. "Well, first you should just put your outfit on," Anya instructed. "I'll help you with hair, makeup and accessories afterwards."

"Okay," Alli said, pushing Anya out the door. Shrugging out of her sweater, Alli took off her tank top and unzipped her bag. Pulling out her black belly shirt, Alli slipped it on over her head and then took off her shorts.

Next, she wiggled into her super tight skinny jeans. She knew these clothes would come in handy after awhile. Johnny would be shocked to see her wearing something so edgy, but he would definitely love it. Checking her watch, Alli saw that it was now almost seven twenty.

"Shoot!" Stuffing her drab clothes into her bag, she hiked up her jeans and opened the door. "I'm ready!" She called out to Anya.

"Okay," she replied, reentering the room. She handed Anya her makeup bag.

"Well, you do have some black eyeshadow." Anya smiled. "We're totally going to make you a gothic princess." Unscrewing Alli's tube of eyeliner, Anya expertly applied it and then put it away. Then she added some mascara and brushed some dark blue eyeshadow over Alli's eyelids before adding the black. "There," she said, wiping at the corners of Alli's eyes. "Now for your hair... it looks fine. When you guys are just messing around he can play with it."

"Is that why you stopped wearing ponytails all the time?" Alli teased.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Anya said, opening the door to her room. "Here. Spray this on," she told Alli, thrusting a perfume bottle into her hands. "Now...." Anya inspected her, taking a step back. "All you need is a belt, a spiky chain and some bracelets." She rummaged around in her closet and came up with the belt and the chain. Alli put them on. Then Anya handed her a couple of black and grey bracelets. Alli slid them onto her arms and smiled.

"Thanks so much!" Glancing up at the clock on Anya's wall, she realized that Johnny would be outside in the next five minutes. "I better get going."

"Yeah, but what about?" Anya shrugged her shoulders, and pointed to a picture of her and Sav on her dresser.

"If Sav calls, tell him that we're watching _The Notebook_ and pretend I'm crying in the background."

"All right. I'll remember that," Anya confirmed. She grabbed both of Alli's hands, squeezed them really tight and gave her a big smile. "Okay, you go out and look hot, have fun and don't party too hard," she warned. The two girls exchanged air kisses and then Alli was out the door.

Anya's neighborhood was a block away from Johnny's and wasn't as crime ridden, but Alli still didn't think she'd feel safe walking the block to his house alone and in the dark. She pulled out her cell phone and sent him a text message. Hopefully he'd be there in the next ten minutes. The concert was supposed to start at eight sharp and it was already a little past seven thirty five.

At seven forty, Johnny's car pulled up out front and Alli clapped her hands together in excitement. This was going to be one of the best nights of her life. Climbing into the passenger's seat, Alli buckled her seat belt. Johnny gave her a once over and whistled. "Hey Backwoods." He kissed her, and his mouth felt as if it were on fire.

"Hey Johnny," she replied, batting her superlong and all natural eyelashes.

"You do have company Bollywood," Bruce piped up from the back.

"Oh hey Bruce," Alli said, not having to fake a smile this time.

"And this would be Charlene," Bruce said, throwing his arm over the girl's shoulder.

"Hello Charlene," Alli said politely.

"Hi Johnny's girlfriend," she said, waving.

"Her name's Alli," Johnny reminded Charlene, and Alli rolled her eyes.

"What happened to Shannon?" She whispered in Johnny's ear and he just shrugged.

The club was hidden in some bushes behind an old warehouse. The four of them got out of the car and joined the line. Pulling out her fake ID, Alli smiled at Johnny. She came up to his shoulder in the boots she was wearing. "You're eighteen," Johnny reminded her. "You're allowed to be here."

"Of course," Alli replied with a wink. When their turn came up, Alli handed the bouncer her ID and tried to look as mature and sexy as possible. Without another glance, the bouncer gave Alli her ID and began checking Johnny's info.

Once they were inside the club, the four found a table and sat down. "Wonder what this opening act is gonna be like?" Bruce shouted, rubbing his hands together.

"Not as kick ass as the main event!" Johnny replied, giving Bruce a high five.

"Gosh, this is the first show we've come to without Luke," Bruce realized, pausing for a moment of silence.

"Yeah." Johnny nodded. "It's a pity he can't run with us anymore. Always having to work and all."

Alli sighed. She still wasn't exactly sure who Luke was, and she wanted to know. Apparently he'd had some sort of affiliation with Mia?

While Bruce ordered drinks for the table, Alli grabbed Johnny's hand. "Let's go dance," she whispered in his ear, hoping she sounded like a young adult.

"This isn't a Justin Timberlake concert, Alli," Johnny mumbled.

"I know that. I just want to dance with my boyfriend, that's all." Alli smiled and got up. Johnny followed her to the dance floor/mosh pit. As soon as Grey Embryo came on, Alli began thrusting her hips into Johnny's. She lowered her body onto his and shook her hips as much as possible.

Placing his hands on her hips, Johnny breathed in Alli's perfume and felt her shoving her hands into his back pockets. Although he hadn't even gotten a buzz yet, Johnny felt slightly high. All he was saw was Alli, and just looking at her put him under the influence.

Leaning up, Alli rested her head on Johnny's shoulder. "This feels really good," she murmured, grinding up against him harder. Tilting his head back, Johnny pulled away.

"Alli, this is too much. Not here, not now." Shocked, Alli grabbed Johnny's hand.

"Am I coming on too strong?"

"Yeah, kinda." He paused, narrowing his bright green eyes into slits. Then he smirked, and Alli punched him lightly on the shoulder. "We'll do this later," he promised, "when you come over."

"Cool," Alli said. "Can I get another kiss?" Alli wondered, stepping in front of Johnny so she could face him.

"Of course," Johnny replied with a smirk. Alli was happy to see that Johnny had loosened up a bit. He had seemed to be a little tense lately, and Alli wanted to make sure that he let his hair flap in the wind and have fun.

When they got back to the table, Bruce and Charlene were kissing. "Hey guys!" Johnny said, taking his seat. Pulling away from Charlene, Bruce wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and Alli grimaced. Ew.

"You gonna drink up, Princess?" Bruce joked. Cracking open a Budweiser, Johnny handed it to Alli.

"Don't get carried away," he warned, grabbing another beer for himself. Bringing the can to her lips, Alli paused for a moment.

"Don't be chicken," Charlene taunted.

"Fine," Alli said, taking a small sip. The liquid was bitter, and it burned her throat when it went down. Alli tried not to wince as Bruce and Charlene tried not to laugh.

As the opening act left the stage, Alli smiled. Now she was going to find out why Johnny loved the music he loved. The lead singer came onto the stage and yelled into the microphone, "Get ready to rock this joint!"

"Whoo!" Johnny and Bruce cheered, pumping their fists in the air. Everyone got up and began moving towards the open space in front of the stage. Johnny and Alli held hands and stood in the middle of the crowd.

Alli, of course, wasn't used to mosh pits and Johnny didn't want her to get hurt. Slinging his arm over her shoulder, he began nodding his head to the music and Alli tried to match his movements. He was singing along to the song now. "I know it's hard to fall. Confided in me was your heart. I know it's hurting you, but it's killing me." He paused. "M. Shadows is a genius!" Johnny yelled over the music. "I mean, the whole band is great, but he's my idol."

Of course all of the guys were tattooed muscle heads, but Alli nodded. If Johnny was such a huge fan of this guy, he must be at least somewhat talented. The next song came on and it was much heavier than the first. "Get ready for the total metal experience!" Johnny shouted, squeezing Alli's hand. "I wish I'd gotten backstage passes."

"Or we could try for autographs and pics," Alli suggested, brushing her hair over her shoulder. Johnny kissed her on the cheek and smiled.

"We'll see." When the band's set was half over, Alli began trying to headbang along with Johnny. He was singing along with his this song more than he had been with the first two. This was probably one of his favorites. "These are all from my favorite album," he explained.

"Awesome!" Alli said, watching as some of the people in the front row settled down. For the next half hour, Johnny chanted along with the crowd and Alli tried to blend in, even though she knew she was going to stand out either way. It was still a lot of fun, though.

While the last song was coming to a close, Alli and Johnny headed back over to their table, where Charlene and Bruce were already waiting. After the song was over, everyone gave the band a standing ovation. "Form a line for autographs and pictures!" The merchandise manager yelled out, and everyone was already scrambling towards the front.

Alli grabbed another beer. Although she was already teetering on the heels of her boots, she was parched. Chugging down almost half of the can's contents, Alli grinned up at Johnny. "Wanna sip?" She asked, shaking the can in his face.

"Nah, I think I'll pass," Johnny said, "and you should too." Removing the can from her hands, Johnny sighed as Bruce made a grab for it.

"Come on, you're the designated driver!" Bruce complained, raising his arms in the air.

"I don't need you heaving in the backseat either," Johnny retorted, downing the rest of the beer himself. Alli was laughing uncontrollably, and then the rest was a blur until they all piled into the car.

"That was awesome!" She shouted before breaking into another fit of giggles. Turning to look over her shoulder, Alli saw that Charlene and Bruce were already making out in the backseat. Johnny drove quite slowly around the corners and sped up in the abandoned streets.

The green numbers glowed against the pitch black. It was after midnight, but Alli was more awake than she'd been all day. When Johnny stopped, Bruce and Charlene got out of the car, mumbling drunken goodbyes as they went.

When Johnny drove off, Alli told him she was feeling a little warm. With all the windows down, Alli's hair blew in circles around her head. She leaned back in her seat and thought about all the things that she and Johnny could do with his place all to themselves.

After he'd parked, Johnny helped Alli out of the car. "Piggy back ride!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Sure," Johnny mumbled, leaning down. Obviously she was drunk; Johnny didn't want her getting upset. As he maneuvered his way through the maze of trailers, Alli kept pressing her warm mouth into his neck and whispering dirty words in his ear. It was extremely distracting.

Pulling his keys out of his pocket, Johnny let Alli slide off his back. He opened the door and she stumbled in, laughing. "Easy there, tiger!" Johnny teased, wrapping his arms around her waist. He slammed the door closed with his foot and turned on the hall ight.

"Oh, what's this?" Alli pulled a sticky note off of the door to Johnny's room.

"Let me see it," Johnny took the note from her and scanned over it quickly. "Apparently Aaron isn't here right now," Johnny said softly, his lips turning up to form a cocky grin.

"That is _so_ great!" Alli shouted. "And you know why it's so great?"

"No," Johnny played along, picking her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Alli smiled.

"Because now I can just eat you up!" She pressed her mouth to his and instantly, everything was right with the world again. Johnny walked into the living room and they fell down on the couch. He thrust his left hand up her already tiny shirt. Cupping one of her breasts, Johnny sighed. What they were doing felt _so_ good, but he knew they were going to have to stop soon, before things got out of hand.

He dipped his head and began placing kisses down her neck and into her chest. "Johnny," she moaned, pressing their bodies together. "I love you so much," she exhaled, taking her shirt off. Pulling away, Johnny swallowed hard.

"I just don't think we should, Alli," he explained, taking his hat off. Alli messed with his blonde curls and frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because... you said you wanted to wait... and I respect that," Johnny insisted, taking his sweater off. "Trust me Alli, I want to do everything I possibly could to your body."

"Then why don't we do that right now?" She began massaging the back of his neck, and Johnny bit down on his bottom lip. This was getting way too hot.

"On the bright side, I know that when those things finally happen... it will have been worth the wait." Blinking rapidly, Alli sniffled a little bit. Every time Johnny said things like this, she always got emotional. A beautiful guy saying beautiful things made for a beautiful scene in the movie that was her life. She pulled her shirt back over her head.

"How about we watch a movie first?" Johnny suggested. Alli knew he was reading her mind. They were so in sync it was crazy.

"We can try." Alli covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. "What chick flicks have you got?"

"Well, no chick flicks... but Aaron's ex-girlfriend left a copy of _Mean Girls_ over here," Johnny said, walking over to the entertainment center they'd gotten from a garage sale three years ago. "Okay, here we go." Sticking it into the DVD player, Johnny settled back down onto the couch and threw his arm around Alli's shoulder.

"Even though I hate those bratty catty BFF movies, I'll try to keep my eyes open," Alli told Johnny, nestling into his chest. "What about the popcorn?" She asked.

"You know I can't afford all that."

"Well then," Alli began, "you need a job, mister." She began rubbing at one of his nipples through his thin cotton shirt. "And I'll help you get one."

"Just relax and don't worry about it," Johnny said, kissing her on top of her forehead. Johnny hit play and the movie began. But all Alli wanted to do was nibble on his neck, and it was hard for him to focus on the TV when his hotter than lava girlfriend seemed like she wanted to have sex or something. "Alli...." He realized he'd only called her Backwoods once all night.

"I honestly think we should just go to bed now," Alli whispered. Turning off the television, Alli grabbed his hand. "Let's go to your room," she suggested seductively.

"Okay," Johnny said, licking his lips eagerly. Twisting the knob on the door, Alli dragged Johnny into his room and pushed him down on the bed. The pillow smelled like just like his cheap cologne and Alli breathed in deeply.

Johnny nuzzled into her neck and began running his hands up and down her thighs. They began kissing again, and Alli tugged on the ends of his curls. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him harder. He thrust his hands up under her shirt again and Alli helped him tug it back off. He began trailing kisses down her neck and closer to her chest. It felt so nice that Alli almost wanted to break her vow, even though it had been only two months since she'd made it.

Johnny leaned up and dragged his shirt over his head. "I love you, Alli. The most out of anyone," he said softly, his chest rising and falling steadily.

"I love you too," she responded, kissing him again.

"So I'm gonna stop this," Johnny said, shifting on the bed.

"Wait," Alli said, stopping him.

"Yeah?" Johnny asked, blinking his breathtaking forest green eyes at her. "Are you okay? Was that uncomfortable for you?"

"No, not at all." Reaching for his belt buckle, Alli shook her head. "I've been thinking... oral isn't the same as sex."

"Not exactly. But it's pretty close, Alli. That's why it's called oral _sex_." Johnny was moving closer to her now, running his hands through her hair. "I do want to do... _things_ with you. You're my girlfriend." He paused, placing a lingering kiss on her lips. "After how we rushed into it the first time, I just don't want to do that again."

"I understand... but, I think it will be fun if we experiment... just this once."

Reaching down for his belt buckle again, Alli sighed. "Please Johnny. I'm sure about this." With a sigh, Johnny dragged open the top drawer on his nightstand. Pulling out something wrapped in plastic, Johnny kicked his legs and wriggled out of his jeans.

Alli watched as he laid back on the bed, and she began kissing all the way down his stomach. He began moaning and tilting his head back, so Alli figured she was doing something right. She kissed a tender spot on his inner thigh and he jerked up from the bed. Alli smiled, and began puckering her lips and lowering herself farther down Johnny's body.

--

When the sun rose, Alli blinked her eyes and shifted positions. She realized that Johnny had one arm slung around her shoulder and one wrapped around her waist. She didn't want to wake him, but she wondered if Anya had already called Sav and told him she'd be home by noon.

Snuggling down into Johnny's arms again, she breathed in his scent and made a mental note to buy him an expensive bottle of cologne for his birthday. What must have been at least two hours later, Alli woke up again to find Johnny opening his blinds. "I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized, walking over to her side. He kissed her softly on the cheek and smoothed her hair back from her forehead.

"No, it's fine. I wasn't that tired anyway," Alli reassured him. "I do have some sort of a headache, though."

"That's what happens after you go to a bar for the first time and get a little drunk," Johnny told her, tapping her on the nose.

He got up again and Alli realized that Johnny was still only in his plaid boxers. They must have fallen asleep right after they'd fooled around. "Did you like it?"Alli asked out of the blue. "What we did last night?"

"Of course." He laughed, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "I've never felt so good in my life."

"That's great," Alli said. "But can we do it more often?"

"You mean only when you're entirely sober?" He smirked, poking her in her abdomen.

"I'm being serious," Alli said sternly. "If you liked it so much, why don't you want to do it all the time?"

"I don't need our relationship to be all that sexual," Johnny said, rubbing his thumb over her chin. "I'll just have to wait for you, and I'm completely okay with that. Since you can't remember what I said last night."

"Whatever boss," Alli said under her breath, throwing the covers to one side of his bed. She sat up and ran her hands over her face. "Can I take a shower?"

"Only if I can come in with you," Johnny joked, grabbing her hands and pulling her up off the bed. "I was kidding, Backwoods," he said, "towels and stuff are in the hall closet."

They exited his room together to find Aaron outside waiting for them. "Looks like John got some ass last night," Aaron said, running his tongue over his top lip. "I heard you two."

"Shut up jackass," Johnny mumbled, as he pushed past Aaron to get to the closet.

"I mean, I'm about seventy percent naked too. We could have had a threesome." Alli scoffed.

"You are beyond sick."

"Whatever you say, Bollywood." He walked in the direction of the kitchen and Johnny gave her the toiletries she would need.

"Don't pay attention to him. For some reason, he lacks manners _and_ respect."

"Don't worry about it." Shrugging, Alli went into the bathroom to freshen up. "I have my own ridiculously idiotic brother to worry about."

After she finished showering and did her hair, Alli exited the bathroom in a short skirt and orange tank top. "Darn, it's nearly eleven!" She said after checking her watch. She walked into the kitchen and found Johnny and Aaron trying to cook.

"Yo Bollywood, why are my waffles getting darker and darker?" Aaron yelled.

"Because they've been in the oven too long, you idiot!" Alli shouted, pushing Aaron out of the way. She removed the two nearly black waffles from the toaster oven. "You nearly set off the smoke alarm!"

Johnny opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. "Alli and I are gonna have cereal," he announced. He poured two bowls of Apple Jax out and then added the milk. They sat down at the table and quietly began eating.

Alli _did_ want to talk, but she really didn't need Aaron eavesdropping on this particular conversation. After Johnny drained his bowl, he got up from the table. "I'm going to get all clean and shiny," he said, tugging on Alli's ponytail. "Give me fifteen minutes."

As soon as he was gone, Aaron sat down across from Alli and drowned his waffles in syrup. "You're not really going to eat those are you?"

"No," Aaron mumbled, "I just wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Look sweetie, I know you fucked my brother."

"You're disgusting," Alli replied, making a face. What he'd was true, but did he have to be so vulgar about it?

"I mean, I heard _everything_ after I came in last night."

"Listen Aaron, you have no idea what we were doing last night. Maybe we were just making noises to mess with you." Raising her eyebrows, Alli shoved another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"I can always ask Johnny," Aaron said under his breath.

"And he won't tell you," Alli retorted with a smirk.

"How do you know he doesn't tell me everything once you walk out that front door?"

"I know Johnny keeps certain details of our relationship private," Alli assured him.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that, sweetie."

"You know what?" Rising from her seat, Alli grabbed her mostly finished bowl of cereal. She poured the milk all over Aaron's head. "Go screw yourself because I seriously don't know who else would!"

Johnny came out of the bathroom towel drying his hair. "What's going on?" He asked, after he saw Aaron covered in milk.

"Bro, your girlfriend has some issues," Aaron said, putting an index finger to his ear and making the crazy sign.

"Let's just go," Alli suggested, grabbing Johnny's arm.

Racing into his room, she collected all her belongings and stuffed them into her bag. She was out in a flash. Johnny grabbed his car keys from off the top of his dresser. "You're gonna have to tell me what's wrong eventually," Johnny reminded her.

"I will. In the car."

They walked up the hallway together. "Yo Aaron, I'm taking Alli home. Don't burn the house down while I'm gone!"

"All right, bro!" He slammed the door shut behind them. Taking Alli's hands in his, he peered into her eyes, genuinely concerned.

"_Now_ tell me what's wrong."

"It's Aaron. He's like a bee in my ear."

"Well, I think we've already established _that_."

"No, he told me that you tell him... _our_ business."

"Okay," Johnny began. "He's my brother, Alli. He does have a right to know some things."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alli shouted, starting to become angry.

"It means that I do share specific things with him. I'm sorry if you don't agree with that."

"Screw it, Johnny! You don't think he'd tell every guy he knows at school?"

"Aaron's not _that _bad, Alli. Just calm down."

"I can't, Johnny. Not when I'm not sure if I can trust you anymore." With that, Johnny pursed his lips and began walking through the other trailers towards the parking lot. Alli followed him, dragging her bag along with her. Once they got to the car, Alli noticed that Johnny didn't open the door for her like he usually did. He must have been really upset.

When she got in the car, Alli tossed her bag into the backseat. "You know you've gotta have some respect for Aaron. Just like how you want me to try and get along with_ your_ brother."

"Whatever Johnny. You don't have any respect for me, so I don't see why I should have any for him." He pulled out of the parking space and began driving up the road.

Alli rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands. She wasn't sad, but when she got extremely upset she automatically started crying. Johnny drove to her house in complete silence – no music, nothing. She thought he was probably expecting her to apologize, but he could guess again.

Alli felt so hurt, she looked out the window and came to a conclusion by the time the car stopped moving. "Bye Alli. I hope we can actually talk next time."

Johnny gave her a weak smile, and Alli felt another tear slide down her cheek. "There won't _be_ a next time." Sniffling, she unbuckled her seat belt and reached behind the seat for her bag.

"What?" Johnny asked incredulously.

"You heard me."

"Okay, well why? Don't you think I deserve an explanation? This can't be about Aaron."

"It's not." Alli sighed. "I just think we need some time apart, that's all."

"What do you mean by that's all?"

"I think you can figure that out."

"Do you want to see other people or something?"

"No, Johnny. I just don't want to see _you_ anymore." Alli opened the car door and got out.

"Wait!" Johnny hopped out and ran after her. "What is this all about? What did Aaron tell you?"

"It doesn't matter, Johnny. I don't think we're going to make it. It's best to quit while we're behind, right?"

"Alli, we're _not_ behind," Johnny insisted. "We just need to work on some things."

"No Johnny. This is just a waste of time for the both of us." Turning away, she let the tears pour down like waterfalls onto her cheeks and down her chin. She didn't even kiss him goodbye.

* * *

The song lyric is from "Unholy Confessions", property of Avenged Sevenfold. This chapter was longer than the previous ones. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review and express your opinions!


	8. And You Just Don't Get It

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 8: And You Just Don't Get It

When Alli walked into Degrassi on Friday morning, she instantly collided with Clare. "Sorry," she mumbled, gathering her books into a pile and helping Clare collect her belongings.

"Yeah. That was me and my clumsiness striking again," Clare said. Alli couldn't help but to laugh.

"Um, do you still eat in the cafeteria?" Alli asked Clare. "We haven't had lunch together in awhile."

"Look," Clare began, "I didn't mean to offend you about Johnny. I just thought you-"

"No worries," Alli cut her off. "He and I are over. For _good_ this time."

"What?" Clare shouted, her jaw dropping.

"Shh," Alli put a finger to her lips. "Yes, I broke up with him on Saturday," Alli explained. "We just weren't going to work. I figured it'd be best if I just ended it before I got more emotionally attached."

"Oh, that sucks." Clare gave her a weak smile. "I hope you're okay."

"I am. I did all my crying over the weekend," Alli told her.

"So we're cool now?" Clare said awkwardly. She wasn't used to using slang, no matter how old the word "cool" was.

"Of course," Alli confirmed. "I'm sorry I acted like such a snob," Alli apologized. "Sisters before misters, right?"

"Although KC and I are still together, I guess that could apply," Clare agreed. Opening her arms for a hug, Alli smiled when Clare squeezed her so hard she almost couldn't breathe. She always gave the best hugs. It felt good to be her friend again.

"See you later, alligator," Clare said before walking off in the direction of her locker. Alli walked in the opposite direction and just as she was approaching her locker, she saw _him_ leaning up against it.

"What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that our relationship was _really_ over." He looked a little nervous already, but it was her goal to scare him off. Now wasn't the best time anyway.

"You did," Johnny mumbled. "But I...I just wanted to see you."

"Why?" Alli wondered, folding her arms across her chest. He was making this hard for her on purpose.

"Alli, I don't want this to be over. We were doing so well, and-"

"Save it. I'm sure you'll find a great girl who will be able to live up to _all _of your standards," Alli cut in harshly. Johnny really needed to work on getting over things that were not going to be undone.

The warning bell sounded, and Alli swallowed hard. "I need to get my stuff," she told Johnny. When she tried to push him out of the way, he wouldn't budge.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," he said, grabbing her arm. "I can't be without you."

"Yeah?" Alli said, raising her voice and tugging her arm from his grasp. "Well, you're going to have to find a way to deal because I'm done." This time, she shoved him extra hard and he got the memo. He walked away without looking back.

Twisting the combination on her locker open, Alli took a deep breath. She looked into the mirror she had hung up on the inside door. The tears sliding down her cheeks left trails of inky black mascara behind them. She removed a tissue from her box of Kleenex and began wiping her makeup off. She knew she wouldn't have time to go to the bathroom, so she stuffed the wet tissue back into the box and then pulled her Biology textbook out of her locker.

A thick envelope fell to the floor in front of her feet and Alli stooped down to pick it up. Opening it, she saw that they were pictures from the concert. In one of the photos, she'd jumped on the lead singer's back and given Bruce bunny ears. The others were mainly of her and Johnny with some of Bruce and his girlfriend of the night mixed in.

For some reason, she didn't remember them being taken. Johnny must have slipped the envelope into her locker while he'd been waiting for her. Tossing the pictures into the bottom of her locker, Alli slammed the door shut and hurried off to class.

--

Upon arriving, Alli took her seat next to KC and opened her book. "We'll begin taking notes at the top of the hour," Mr. Elizondo announced.

"Hey," KC whispered. Alli smiled.

"What's up?"

"Um, I got some good news this morning."

"Yeah? Spill." Alli raised her eyebrows. In this case, good news sounded like it was equivalent to juicy gossip.

"Clare told me you guys made up."

"Yeah, we did. I'm glad we're friends again. I've missed having her support the past two weeks."

"And she also told me that you and Ponyboy are off."

"Shut up!" Alli said, shoving KC off his chair.

"What? It's true," KC said sheepishly.

"Yes, _Johnny _and I are no longer a couple."

"Wow. You're so...okay, it's amazing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I thought you would have been all PMS-y and crying and stuff," KC clarified. "Last week you made it seem like you were in love with the guy and now you guys are broken up?"

"Yes, we are. It happened so fast because I realized something. He and I just aren't going to work."

"That's unfortunate," KC said. "But I hope you'll come to my house this weekend."

"What's the occasion?"

"Clare and I are celebrating our first month as a couple," KC told her. His cheeks were turning a shade of pink.

"That's amazing!" Alli said, giving him a quick hug. "I can't wait!"

"Yeah, it's going to be great," KC concurred.

"Well, are you eating lunch with Clare today?"

"Connor and I usually hang in the library, but maybe I will."

"Cool. 'Cause we were planning to catch up today."

"You still look...a little down," KC said suddenly. "Like you might need some cheering up."

"It's only been two days since...." Alli mumbled, putting her chin in her hand.

"I have a suggestion," KC said. "Think about all the things you won't miss about him. Maybe that will make it easier to forget everything."

"Thanks for the help. But I just don't know if it'll be that easy."

"On the bright side, you and Clare are friends again. That's important too, right?"

"Right," Alli agreed.

"In the back!" Mr. Elizondo shouted. "The notes are on the board!" Picking up her pencil, Alli sighed and began to write.

--

At the end of the day, Alli went to her locker and saw something taped to it. Ripping it off, she opened it and saw a free breakfast sandwich coupon inside. Of course it was from Johnny. He wanted to meet her at McDonald's tomorrow morning, but she wasn't sure she was ready to actually talk to him yet.

It had been very easy when she was getting to know him, finding out who he was. But now it was all different because of all they'd been through in the last five months. Slipping the coupon into her bag, Alli closed her locker and walked towards the front doors of Degrassi.

Since Johnny wouldn't be dropping her off, she'd have to ride the bus. Once she exited the school, her eyes caught Johnny's. He was driving out of the parking lot. Alli saw Bruce in the backseat with some girl that wasn't Shannon or Charlene. Gosh, he moved fast.

The passenger's seat was empty. Alli figured Johnny wasn't going to ask any random girl to pretend to be his girlfriend just to make her jealous. That fact made her want to cry all over again.

--

When she opened the door and stepped inside, Alli dropped her bag to the floor and closed the door behind her. "Alliana, how was school?" Her mother greeted her, holding a plate of chocolate chip cooks in her left hand.

Alli took one off the plate and smiled. "It was...great," she lied, an image of Johnny flashing through her mind.

"That's nice." Setting the plate of cookies on the coffee table, Mrs. Bhandari took a seat on the couch. "Sit," she said, patting the fluffy cushion next to her.

"Okay." Alli went and sat down next to her, munching on a cookie.

"Um...we never really discussed dating with you and Sav. We didn't want to encourage it...."

"Mother, what's the matter?" Alli interjected, taking another cookie from the plate and biting into it. "Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me what's on your mind."

"Alliana, your father and I also didn't discuss sexual intercourse with you and your brother because we didn't think we would need to." Uh-oh. Alli's mind went into red alert mode. _How could my mom have possibly found out about me and Johnny?_

"Um, what do you mean?"

"We found a pack of-" Pausing to clear her throat, Mrs. Bhandari put a hand to her chest. "Your father and I came across a pack of condoms in Sav's sock drawer." _So that's what this was about? Sav thinking he was going to get laid?_

"Maybe one of his friends gave it to him," Alli told her mother. Wait. Why was she covering for Sav? There's no way he would have done the same for her.

"No Alliana." Her mother sighed. "The receipt was attached. He bought it with his emergencies only credit card. Also abusing _that _purpose."

"I mean, they were unopened, right?" Alli inquired, sinking back into the couch. "So it's not like he's used any. Maybe he's just trying to get prepared. He _is_ a junior in high school with a girlfriend you know."

"That's not the point, Alliana," her mother insisted. "I also saw...I also saw you kissing a Caucasian boy outside the house a couple of days ago. He looked much too mature for you and you seemed to know each other well." If only she knew how much knowing they'd done.

"Oh!" Alli laughed as if her mother had just cracked the most hilarious joke in the world. "He and I were just messing around."

"I find that hard to believe." Mrs. Bhandari sighed. "You are simply too young to be gallivanting with boys, Alliana. You told me and your father that you were working on an assignment at school."

"You just don't get it, mother! Sorry if I want to have a social life. I don't think it's fair that Sav can date Anya and I can't see a guy."

"It's different, Alliana. Sav was nearly sixteen when he_ asked our permission_ to start spending quality time with Anya. You are not yet fifteen and I've seen you talking with multiple boys at school."

"When you came to the parent/teacher conference, I was saying hi to the boys _and _some girls to be friendly. I wanted to fit in," Alli explained.

"Listen, sweetheart," Mrs. Bhandari placed a hand on Alli's knee. "I'm just afraid that you would abuse that kind of privilege. You would probably want to wave to every boy you could."

"No mother, you don't understand. Johnny and I are pretty close and I used to like him like _that_, but not anymore. We were kissing because we thought we were in love." Gritting her teeth, Alli tried to keep her cool. "We don't hang out anymore."

"I trust that you are telling me the truth," Mrs. Bhandari said. "I'm happy you understand that a fourteen year old could not possibly grasp the concept of love and all that comes with it."

"What do you know about fourteen year olds anyway, mother?"

"I _was_ one, Alliana." Standing up, Alli began stomping across the living room in the direction of her room.

"Too bad that was so long ago you can't even remember!" Alli slammed the door behind her and dived onto her bed. She screamed into her pillow and then turned over onto her back. Her dad and Sav weren't going to be home from work and band practice/makeout time with Anya anytime soon, so she had to stay in here until they returned.

She wished she could call Clare or KC or someone who would understand, but she had to hide the phone in the hiding spot her parents had chosen after she'd used it on Saturday. Now she wished she hadn't stormed out of the living room so quickly. Her mom hardly baked and when she did, her cookies were beyond delicious.

Her breakup with Johnny was already taking enough of a toll on her, and now her mother was upset at her, too. Hopefully things would seem better in the morning.

By the time she heard the doorbell ring, she was waking up from her nap. She heard her father's voice instantly and lay back down. Maybe she'd be able to avoid the situation if she just pretended to be sick. She pulled off her way too long skirt and hung it up in the closet. Climbing back into her bed, she pulled the covers up to her chin and turned over on her side. She heard a knock at her door and croaked out, "Come in!"

"Oh quit faking," Sav grumbled as he barged in. "What'd you do, catch mono from Johnny?"

"No," Alli said, throwing a pillow at Sav's head.

"Then what is it? You were fine at school today."

"Just say what you came in here to say."

"I asked Anya about your sleepover. She said you guys had a lot of fun, but a couple friends of mine took a picture of you with guess who?" Pulling out his phone, Sav skimmed through all of his other pictures until he came to the right one.

He showed Alli the photo and there she was – in the flesh, her arm wrapped around Johnny's neck. "Peter and Danny went to the concert and Peter said he thought he saw you, so he took the picture and sent it to me." Reaching out, Alli tried to grab his phone so she could delete the picture, but Sav smacked her hand away. "Down girl. I have the proof. You _were_ with him on Saturday night and you guys _are_ dating!"

"You're only half right," Alli mumbled. "We broke up the next day."

"Whatever Alli, Save it for someone who cares." Sav turned and exited her room in a flurry. She didn't know what else she could do or say. Alli got up and walked across the hall to her parents' room. She walked over to her mother's nightstand and picked up her phone.

Dialing Anya's number, she went over and locked the door. Taking a seat on the floor, she waited for Anya to pick up. "Hello?" She finally heard her voice.

"Hey Anya," she said softly. "It's me, Alli."

"Oh hi. What's up?"

"Johnny and I broke up, but we did spend some 'alone time' on Saturday if you can catch my drift," Alli began.

"Wait. You guys broke up?" Anya asked incredulously. "When? Why? How?"

"Don't worry about it." Alli thought about how to phrase her question so she wouldn't sound like she was freaking out about the situation. "Could you get pregnant if you...swallowed a guy's...fluids?" Her voice squeaked on the last word.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You did something sexual with Johnny and then broke up with him right after?" Nodding, Alli remembered that Anya couldn't actually see her.

"Kinda." Now she was glad she hadn't told Anya about her first sexual encounter with him.

"Well, what was it?"

"If you consider the question again, you'll get your answer."

"No, you can't get pregnant if you swallow...fluids. It's not going anywhere near your fallopian tubes, so you're good." She paused for a moment, thinking back to what Alli had said the first time. "Did you...go down on Johnny?"

"Sorta. But it was fully protected." Alli bit off a hang nail. "I mean, we've only done these things with each other, so it's cool, right?"

"Are you absolutely sure Johnny hasn't done things with other girls?" Anya wondered. "It's better to be safe than sorry in the long run, Alli."

"I trusted him. But now that we're broken up it doesn't even matter."

"Did you talk about it afterwards?"

"No. Johnny's already quiet as it is. He's usually even less talkative after we fool around."

"Well, maybe you should try to talk to him at school tomorrow," Anya suggested. "But it's up to you."

"Yeah, maybe that's the best thing," Alli concluded. She figured she'd have to meet up with Johnny at McDonald's in the morning. "Thanks Anya," she said. "You've been a big help."

"No problem," Anya said.

"Bye," Alli mumbled.

"See you tomorrow." Anya clicked off.

--

Knocking on Sav's door extra loudly, Alli pursed her lips. "Open up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sav shouted back. Alli hadn't wanted to storm in in case Sav was jacking off or something. When he finally opened the door, Alli sighed and walked over to his bean bag chair. Plopping down on it, she looked up at Sav.

"What do you want?"

"You can't show them the picture."

"Why shouldn't I? What's in it for me?"

"I'll tell them you had sex with Anya."

"But that's a lie! They'll never believe you!"

"They know you keep condoms in your sock drawer, so why wouldn't they?" Alli smirked, and Sav looked away. Now she had something to hold over his head. "Look, Johnny and I _were_ seeing each other. Keyword is were."

"I knew it!" Sav said. "It was only a matter of time before you fessed up."

"Shut up!" Alli yelled, throwing one of his dirty socks at him.

"So, is that all you have to say?"

"No," Alli admitted, looking away. "We broke up on Saturday. We were hanging out in secret, but we were never really in a relationship...exactly."

"That has to be bogus," Sav cried. "You were sneaking around with him all those times you were supposed to be at Clare's, weren't you? This past Saturday – you weren't at Anya's. I should have known!"

"Just don't tell them, okay? Please. I broke up with him, really, I did. And I don't ever want to see him again. It truly is completely over."

"Why should I believe you?" Sav queried. "How do I know this isn't some sort of plot where you're faking so I'll take pity on you and not tell mom and dad?"

"No, not at all." Alli put on her serious face and sat up a little straighter. "I know it seems like an odd coincidence, but it's the truth."

"You know Alli, I just don't trust him. At Lakehurst he was always in trouble and I don't want him getting you into any."

"He won't Sav. We haven't spoken since Saturday."

"Just...I don't know. I'm not sure what I can believe anymore."

"Well, that's the best I could do," Alli said, getting up. She went back to her room and started working on her chemistry homework. By six thirty, she was nearly done. "Dinner!" Mrs. Bhandari called out. Alli figured this was the last thing she'd have to get through before she could go to sleep for the night.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me your thoughts.


	9. Not Really Over

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 9: Not Really Over

Standing against the wall, Alli took a deep breath and began looking for Johnny. She figured he would already be there waiting for her or not waiting for her since she had never told him she'd be showing up.

Finally, she saw him walk in the side door looking extremely depressed. He instantly covered his mouth and began coughing. He must have been smoking. She waited for him to spot her, and when he did, his green eyes looked so watery she had to look away. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hi," she whispered. For some reason, she didn't want to look at him for too long. It had only been three days and she already missed him terribly.

"I just wanted us to talk," he began, pulling her chair out for her.

"Um, I came because I wanted to apologize," Alli said. "For everything that ever happened between us."

"What?" Johnny said. "You shouldn't be sorry for anything. I was the one who put you through all this pain."

"No, you didn't," Alli insisted. "I made the choice to be with you, so I set myself up."

"Whatever you say, Alli. You're the one in advanced everything, so you must already have all the answers."

"I never said that, _Johnathan_."

"You know I hate being called that, Alli."

"We're not together anymore, so why does it matter?"

"If it doesn't matter to you then I guess it's shit to me too then."

"You know what?" Alli yelled. "I thought you wanted to talk it out. Not argue like little kids."

"And I thought you cared about me and my feelings," Johnny shot back.

"I do... well I _did_. But we just can't handle each other and I think it's time you face that fact."

"Look, you just can't end things because _you _want to."

"Well, you didn't object."

"Because I didn't want to be hurting inside anymore," Johnny admitted. "The past couple of days have been hell for me without you." There. He'd said it. Something to make her reconsider. A statement to change her mind. "I love you so much and it's not just going to go away."

"That's the problem, Johnny. You say things that I'm not entirely sure are true."

"You're calling me a liar after I told you every single detail about how Drake killed that guy?"

"No Johnny, I'm saying that-"

"Listen. My aunt and my brother and I used to be so poor that she had to send me out to the corner to sell pot when I was in middle school. I was eleven, Alli. My aunt drank up until my sophomore year. After Drake went to jail, she saw my pain. She tried to help us all be a family again. And everything was going great until you came along and complicated my whole life."

Although Alli knew Johnny wasn't angry, she wanted him to think that she thought he was. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way." Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Alli rose from her seat and tried not to cry. "I better get going."

When Johnny grabbed her arm, he spun her around and leaned down towards her all in one quick motion. Their lips were pressed together hard and Alli didn't even pull away. When their lips parted, she sighed and turned away. "I hope we can still be friends," she forced out.

"Yeah," he said, looking defeated. "I hope so, too." Walking out of the restaurant, Alli tried to keep herself from breaking down. It hurt so badly and she was the one being difficult. Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't Johnny have been more like Aaron? "Because he was made for me," she whispered to herself.

--

"I heard you gave Johnny some lollipop," Delia announced, approaching Alli at her locker.

"Wow. So he really _is_ that dishonest," Alli mumbled, slamming her locker door closed.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Delia folded her arms over her chest.

"It means that Johnny is a liar who tells everyone about everything!" Alli shouted, surprising herself with the loudness of her own voice.

"Whatever. Johnny barely talks to me. But Aaron and I are going out now," Delia said. She smirked.

"So _he_ told you. Okay. That's fine."

"No, it's not." Delia shrugged. "You _do_ care."

"As much as I love your catty, jealous ways, now is not the time to be getting under my skin."

"Oh, I think it is." Turning back around to face her, Alli took a step forward.

"And why is that?"

"I know you guys broke up."

"Well, okay. You know half of my high school life story!" Alli shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "Good for you, Delia!"

"We hooked up right after," she spat. "It was great. I screwed the heartbreak right out of him."

"Now you've gone too far," Alli yelled, grabbing a fistful of Delia's hair and yanking it downwards.

"You're just mad because you always knew that Johnny and I were better for each other!" Delia yelled back, grabbing Alli's arm and twisting it around.

"Ow!" Alli screamed, staring at her arm in horror. Delia drew her arm back and then punched Alli hard in the stomach. "Gosh, you're a lesbian; just admit it already, you're gay!"

"Oh, you little bitch!" Delia made a grab for Alli's head, but she moved out of the way just in time. "You better be glad that we're in school because otherwise I would have had your ass on the ground a long time ago!"

Her chest was heaving now, and Alli took the opportunity to yank her hair again and pound her five times in the head. "There. Maybe that'll knock some sense into you!" Delia shoved Alli onto the floor and then Alli kicked her in the stomach.

"Girls, girls, girls!" Coach Armstrong shouted, stepping in between them. "What is going on here?"

"She started it!" Alli shouted, pointing a finger at Delia.

"Come with me," he instructed, leading the two angry teenage girls down the main hallway and into a small room. "When the principal is ready for you, he'll call you in," Coach Armstrong told them before heading off.

"You know what?" Delia started. "You're not over him. If you were, you wouldn't have been trying to fight me."

"I don't know why I lunged at you," Alli admitted. "I mean, I don't care anymore. You can have Johnny _and_ Aaron. That's your business." Delia seemed to be stunned into silence because she didn't say a word until the Shep called them into his office.

"Good morning ladies," he greeted them. "Have a seat." Pointing to a row of chairs situated in front of his desk, he pulled his chair up and took a seat himself. "So... what happened?"

"I was innocently retrieving books from my locker," Alli began at the same time Delia said,

"I walked up to ask her a question-"

"We'll start with Ms. Bhandari's side of the story." The Shep gave her a fake smile and nodded for Alli to continue.

"Okay, well, _like I was saying_, I was at my locker minding my own business and then Delia walked up and immediately began to provoke me – out of nowhere and for no reason. So when she finally made a comment that I felt was absolutely unnecessary, I decided it was time to take action."

"Ms. Bhandari, you know about the zero tolerance policy we have for violence. The 2004 incident will never be repeated if this rule goes unbroken. _Never_."

"I understand that Principal Sheppard-"

"And yet you_ still_ started the physical fight," the Shep cut in. "Ms. Bhandari, a war of words is one thing, but to lay hands on another student is against our policy." All Alli could do was sit back in her seat and do her best to not slap the silly grin off Delia's face.

"Okay Delia. I'll see if you really _are _telling the truth this time." _So she had a track record, huh? This was going to be a piece of cake. _

"Well Shep, I wanted to ask Alliana if I could borrow her notes for science class-"

"Please," Alli interrupted. "We don't have a single class together and you know it!"

"Ms. Bhandari," the Shep raised his hand and Alli stopped talking. "You had your chance and Delia showed respect when it was your turn. Please do the same for her."

"As _I _was saying, I wanted to ask Alliana a question. For fun, I started teasing her about her ex-boyfriend."

"So you started the verbal altercation?"

"Yes, I believe so. But not intentionally," she added. With a roll of her eyes, Alli heaved a sigh.

"Okay. So... to be fair I think we'll split this right down the middle." Alli smiled. She'd get to push Delia's buttons all through detention. "One day of suspension for the both of you." Alli's jaw dropped.

"You've got to be kidding, Principal Sheppard."

"Here are your slips and I won't see you tomorrow." Alli picked up the pink piece of paper and stared down at it. This was now the second time she was receiving one of these. Her once clean record was now even more tarnished, and it was all because of Delia. Perfect no longer existed in her school vocabulary.

When they exited the Shep's office, Delia turned back towards Alli and laughed. "Ha ha! Look who's a bad girl now."

"Whatever," Alli grumbled. Under the pink sheet was her admit slip to her first class. With a sigh, Alli began her trek down the hallway.

--

At the end of the day, Alli and Sav rode the bus home. Once they were both inside their house, they decided to start on their homework before their parents came home from work. Alli had already decided not to mention her suspension until Sunday night – if at all.

Sprawling out on the floor, Alli opened her Biology textbook and began reading Chapter 9. Sav began doing his Trigonometry homework and Alli turned on the radio. "Anya's coming over later," Sav announced out of the blue.

"Cool," Alli said, flipping a page. "When?"

"I think after dinner."

"All right," Alli said. "I hope you don't try to ask her questions about my love life."

"Trust me, I won't," Sav assured her, making a face.

"Just checking," Alli reminded him.

"Yeah. Now let me get back to work," Sav grumbled, continuing to scribble away.

After Alli finished her reading assignment, she turned off the radio and snapped on the television. Sav walked into the living room with a can of Coke and sat down on the couch. He reached over to grab the remote from Alli, but she drew her arm back and away from him.

Sav reached around her arm for it, but Alli continued to resist, shouting, "Let me at least channel surf. Every time you get it first you always hog it!"

"I just want to see the hockey scores!" The remote went flying across the room and Alli's binder flipped up into the air and landed in Sav's lap.

Glancing down, Alli saw the cover decorations she'd spent all last Sunday afternoon working on. Written in her best looping cursive across the front of her binder were the words _Alliana DiMarco_ with hearts and stars and rainbows and smiley faces all around it.

Sav turned to look at her and Alli grabbed her binder even though she knew Sav had already seen it. "Wow, Alli. And you really think I believe that you and Johnny_ aren't_ together?"

"Sav, I swear we're not! I wrote that a week before we broke up."

"Whatever, Alli. Save it for the dinner table."

"Fine. Be that way. Make me suffer while you go out with Anya night after night."

"It's not about that, Alli. Johnny's a bad guy; I don't know how you can't see that."

"Have you ever spoken to him? Tried to get to know him? Not immediately judged everything about him?" Alli rose to her feet, clutching her binder to her chest. "You don't know Johnny. You don't know what kind of person he is. Just stop!"

"Like _you_ do?" Sav yelled. He sighed in defeat. "Do whatever you want." Shrugging his shoulders, he took a sip of his soda.

Racing towards the hallway, Alli kept running until she turned and slammed the door to her room. Snatching her phone up from her dresser, Alli began dialing the familiar numbers before she could really think about what she was doing. Waiting for him to pick up, Alli bit down on her bottom lip and bit off one of her pinky nails.

"Hello?" His voice sounded a little high-pitched, as if he was confused.

"Hi," Alli said softly. "I didn't really mean to call you. I mean, your number was just in my head and I dialed." She paused to think for a moment. "I guess I probably _did _want to talk to you."

"Look Alli. I know you're in denial. You kissed me back this morning."

"This isn't about that, Johnny. Sav knows. That we were together. He's definitely going to tell our parents now."

"Well, Alli. I'm sure you'll think of something before Sav does. And besides, it doesn't even matter anymore, right? We're over." Reality really hit her now and Alli sighed heavily. When the words came out of Johnny's mouth, she knew they were true. Maybe he was going to hang up on her.

"Yeah, but-"

"But what?" Alli thought about Johnny and how delicious he was. His hair, his eyes, his torso, his legs, his back, everything. Now it was all out of her reach.

"I thought we were going to try and be friends," Alli said.

"Yeah. It doesn't mean you have to call me," Johnny said.

"Well bye." Instead of hanging up, Alli waited for Johnny to click off first, but he didn't.

"I heard you kicked Delia's ass this morning," Johnny said, breaking the silence.

"Well, I don't know if I'd say all _that_," Alli replied, trying to sound modest.

"Reese said he saw the whole thing and you were amazing."

"Wow, Reese handing out compliments? Maybe pigs _will_ start to fly soon."

"Nah. He's just a little pissed because Delia's kind of a lying, cheating skank to him now."

"Yeah. She told me."

"What? Why?"

"That's how the fight started." Taking a breath, Alli started again. "She also told me that you two hooked up on Sunday... not too long after we broke up."

"And you believed her? Come on, Alli."

"I didn't know _what_ to think. She said you two did it and then she started dating your brother-"

"Jesus, Alli! Why would you believe her when you know what kind of a person she is?"

"And then she said that I wasn't over you because if I was then I wouldn't have been fighting her."

"Oh," Johnny mumbled. "Well that's something for you to think about, not me."

"I know."

"Well, I hope you have fun this weekend without me." That was something else Alli was going to have to get used to. Without a boyfriend, her Saturday schedule was empty.

"Yeah. It's going to be the best weekend of my life," Alli told him. She wasn't sure if she meant that or not.

"Bye," Johnny said.

"See you around," Alli replied.

--

By the time their mother got home, both Sav and Alli were poised and ready to tell her all about what Alli had really been doing the past few weekends.

Mrs. Bhandari began making spaghetti because the family of four always ate foreign meals on Fridays. "Mom," Alli began, walking into the kitchen. She saw Sav sitting at the breakfast bar out of the corner of her eye. "Remember that guy I told you about? We weren't just friends all that time, we were boyfriend and girlfriend... but we broke up this past weekend. We're still friends, though. And that's why I want to invite him over for dinner."

"Alliana, you did not think I was born after you, no? I knew you had an intimate relationship with that boy; it was very obvious. I'm happy you two were smart enough to go your separate ways before you began making proclamations of love, dear." Too late.

"Well, when can he come? If that's a yes, I mean."

"If his family is in agreement with this plan then he can come over on Monday night," her mother said, stirring some noodles that were in a pot on the stove.

"Great. That sounds good," Alli said. When she turned to leave the kitchen, she smirked over at Sav. He was probably shocked that she'd finally admitted the truth before he could rat her out himself.

Walking into her dad's office, she closed the door behind her and took a seat in his computer chair. Now was her chance to check her email and continue to push Johnny out of her mind. Once she signed in and clicked on her inbox, Alli saw that half of the emails were from Johnny himself.

Opening a new link, Alli decided to check out Johnny's FaceRange page. Since she'd been banned from the website because of the Holly J. incident, Alli didn't have a page of her own anymore.

She typed in his screenname and his page instantly appeared. Thankfully his page wasn't private, because she wanted to read his most recent updates.

Scrolling down the page, she saw a post he'd created the day she'd single handedly ended their relationship. Alli blinked twice, trying to make her emotions shut up and go hide in the corner.

**johnnyboy51491: **_Sad :'(_

**Sunday, 2:43 P.M.**

_My girlfriend just dumped me. I have no idea why. I still love her, though. _

Johnny still had feelings for her, and all of his FaceRange friends knew it. Skimming through the other posts, she noticed a recurring theme. He kept mentioning how much he missed her and hoped to win her back.

But the pictures he'd recently taken said otherwise. In all five of them he was shirtless and surrounded by beer cans. In one of them, there were two girls on either side of him. One of the brunettes was probably his new girlfriend. Alli was about to click off and read his emails, but then she got an instant message.

**johnnyboy51491:** i can see that you're logged on.

Something told her to respond.

**backwoodsbeauty:** so?

**johnnyboy51491:** i just wanted to say hi, that's all.

**backwoodsbeauty:** we got off the phone less than a half hour ago.

**johnnyboy51491:** does that matter?

**backwoodsbeauty:** you were the one who said we didn't need to talk as much since we're just friends now, but whatever.

**johnnyboy51491:** so what are you doing right now?

**backwoodsbeauty:** i was checking my email and i saw that you're still a member of my fan club i didn't know existed.

**johnnyboy51491:** i just want our friendship to be as strong as a wrestler.

**backwoodsbeauty:** you are too pathetic.

**johnnyboy51491:** and you're not being a very good friend right now.

Alli wasn't the nicest girl around, but she also wasn't a cold hard bitch either. She was just afraid that if she and Johnny kept talking so much they'd fall right into the trap and become a couple again.

**backwoodsbeauty:** i invited you over for dinner on monday...but there's a catch.

**johnnyboy51491: **wow, a chance to meet your parents after we've broken up. how convenient....

**backwoodsbeauty:** that's a part of the catch. i'll tell you the rest at school on monday.

**johnnyboy51491:** that's if i feel like talking to you.

**backwoodsbeauty:** or we could just not talk at all anymore.

**johnnyboy51491:** fine, be that way.

**backwoodsbeauty:** sav was going to tell them everything he knew.

**johnnyboy51491:** did you tell him that we broke up?

**backwoodsbeauty:** yes, several times. But he didn't believe me.

**johnnyboy51491:** ask him when studz are playing their next gig. I wanna go.

**backwoodsbeauty:** oh, they'll be opening up for some world famous punk band in about 2300.

**johnnyboy51491:** harsh.

Alli heard the front door slam, meaning her father was home.

**backwoodsbeauty:** my dad's home. gotta go. bye.

**johnnyboy51491:** see you at school on monday. bye. : )

* * *

I hope you're enjoying the story. It's only nearly half done, so I hope you'll keep reading and reviewing!


	10. Friends with Benefits

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 10: Friends with Benefits

It was Saturday morning. The sound of Alli's buzzing cell phone caused her to practically jump out of her bed. "Who the heck could be calling me this early?" she mumbled to herself, brushing her hair out of her eyes and glancing at her cell phone. It was probably Johnny.

"Hey," he said.

"Good morning," Alli said politely, not wanting to sound upset. If she told Johnny that he'd interrupted her beauty sleep, maybe he'd just give up and drop the call.

"I wanted to invite you over tonight," he began.

"What?!" Alli exclaimed, putting him on speaker phone. "I don't think I heard you right."

"But... I'll understand if you don't want to come."

"Okay, um... why do you want me to come over? Is it something extra, really, very important?"

"It's just... it's something I had planned weeks ago. For... us." Clearing his throat, he started again. "But since we're not us anymore, I just want to spend some time with you as a friend."

"That sounds good," Alli agreed. Anything to avoid telling her parents about her suspension.

"I'll pick you up at four thirty then."

Alli nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Yeah. That'll be great."

"See you later," he said, and Alli smiled.

"Bye." Maybe this friendship could work out after all.

--

When she woke up again, which was around eleven, Alli went into the kitchen and began making breakfast. Her dad had already left for work, Sav was still sleeping, and her mother was....

"Good morning Alliana," Mrs. Bhandari said.

"Ahh!" Alli screamed. "Mom, you scared me!" Her mother was seated at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and sipping a tall glass of orange juice.

"Well, you walked right past me, I don't know how you didn't see me," Mrs. Bhandari said. "Come, have a seat."

Alli took up her blueberry muffin and her carton of milk and walked over to the kitchen table, sitting down across from her mom.

Alli's mind was full of ideas. Mainly ones concerning how she could avoid telling her parents about getting suspended. There was no way they would ever accept this. Nothing as bad as the Holly J. thing had taken place in almost three months. They would call her an "unruly female" and claim she was putting all Muslims to shame.

Embarrassing your family members was something people of her cultural background took very seriously. She had three options: a) tell them, let them sign the paper and get grounded for two months, b) don't tell them, leave for school and then return home after they'd left for work, or c) don't tell them, stay home and forge the signatures.

Since Sav was already plotting her demise, Alli figured that it'd be best if she just forge the signatures and keep herself out of hot water. Then they'd never know and everything would be fine. Unfortunately, she couldn't hide the scrapes and bruises from the fight – but she could lie about them. Or better yet, hide them with cover up.

When her mother cleared her throat, Alli guessed that she had missed something. "I said, Alliana, do you have any plans for today?"

"What? Um, no, of course not mother. I would have told you about them a couple of days in advance." Alli tried not to shift in her seat too much, but she was feeling very antsy. Her mother always looked so professional, business-like and mature... it was all sort of intimidating.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed into Alli's mind. "Mom, do you need help with any work stuff? You know, filing, shredding, faxing?" Alli bit into her muffin. Her mother glanced down her nose at her and sighed.

"What is going on, Alliana? Usually I have to beg you for help with my work 'stuff', as you call it." Although she knew her mother was getting suspicious, Alli needed these last few moments to get on her good side.

"I was just feeling a little generous is all," Alli said.

"Are you sure that's it? You don't want any money, nothing?" her mother pressed on, turning a page of the newspaper.

"Yeah, that's it," Alli lied. She did have to ask to go somewhere, because Johnny had said he was going to pick her up at four thirty. With her new extended curfew that she'd worked so hard to get, she wouldn't have to be home until nine thirty.

Finishing off her muffin and draining her carton of milk, Alli licked her fingers and stood up from the table. "It was nice talking to you mom," she said, putting her plate in the sink and tossing the empty carton of milk into the trash can. "I'm gonna go study now."

"Okay Alliana," Mrs. Bhandari said, flipping another page in the newspaper.

Alli walked into the living room and started on her homework. By the time four o' clock rolled around, Alli knew her mother was in a more relaxed mood, so she figured now would be the best time to schmooze. "Mother, I wanted to know if Clare and I could work on our poetry books at the library," Alli said, batting her long eyelashes. "Please? Pretty please with rainbow sprinkles on top?"

"No, that's not a problem, Alliana. I love poetry and I know you'll do well on this assignment. Lately, you've been getting more B's than A's." That was because of all the secret meetings with Johnny.

"Yeah, I don't know where my head was. But now it's screwed on straight again." Alli smiled.

"Okay, well, go get ready," her mom said. "Remember to be home by nine thirty!"

"All right!" Alli yelled in response. Heading back into her room, Alli changed into a classier outfit. Johnny had invited her over for dinner, and dinner was always equivalent to fancy in her mind. She pulled a long coat from her closet and slid into it.

Now her clothes were hidden and her mom wouldn't be wondering why she was so dressed up. "Bye mom!" Alli shouted, heading out the door in a bit of a hurry. Lately her mom had been paying a little bit more attention to her, and it was slightly unnerving.

Getting out of the house was an easy way to avoid her parents and their twenty questions. Walking up the block towards Johnny's usual parking place, Alli kept her eyes peeled for his sleek, black Honda. Oddly enough, she didn't see it; even after she'd walked up and down the sidewalk twice.

Suddenly, the sound of a car horn honking startled her and she whirled around. Johnny was sitting in a red convertible and he'd been watching her the whole time. "Hop in, Princess," he joked, starting up the car.

"When did you get this sweet new ride?" Alli gushed, climbing into the car and buckling her seat belt. She ran her hands over the upholstery.

"Sadly, it's not actually mine," Johnny explained, turning to look at her. For some reason, something told Alli that Johnny had probably stolen this car. It wasn't like he'd ever done it in the past (she hoped), but it wouldn't be a surprise to find out that the car wasn't his in that sense.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting up straighter. Then she remembered what he'd told her about jumping to conclusions. Johnny wasn't an accessory to the crime Drake had committed, just like he wasn't a car thief.

As she looked into Johnny's eyes again, Alli noticed that there was something different about him. He looked younger. The hat he usually wore all day, every day was absent. He'd shaved recently and his bright eyes glowed their lovely green. Alli almost leaned in to kiss him, forgetting that they were now only just friends. "My car's in the shop. I'm renting this one until I can get my other apparently not-so-sweet ride back." He smirked.

"No," Alli said, shaking her head. "It's just that this car is so sleek and new and fresh and... not you," she realized, wrinkling up her nose.

"Yeah," Johnny said, looking over his shoulder as he backed the car up towards the corner of Alli's street. "No wonder we broke up, huh?"

"I guess," Alli said softly, staring out the window. He drove in silence at first, but then Alli felt a hand on her knee.

"So, how have you been Backwoods?" He grinned into the rearview mirror and watched Alli's facial expressions change as she pondered his question.

Although what he'd asked usually required a simple, easy and short answer, Alli honestly did not know how she felt. Ever since they'd broken up, she'd been a mess. Her parents and Sav were on her case. She hadn't spent any quality time with her friends lately. Her behavior and her grades were slipping off track. Maybe Johnny had been the solution to all her problems, the glue holding the most important elements of her life together. "I'm doing pretty good... I think," Alli finally answered.

"Wow. It only took you two years to answer," Johnny commented. "And what do you mean you _think_ you're doing pretty good? How could you not know for sure?"

"Lately, I haven't been sure of a lot of things," Alli confessed. "I don't know why it's been that way... that's just the way it is."

"Well," Johnny began. "Does it have anything to do with us not being us anymore?" He wondered, stopping at a stop sign. He turned to look at her and Alli noticed that his eyes looked even greener.

"Maybe," she said, wanting to remain as mysterious as possible. "But that's for me to know and you to find out," she joked, tapping him on the nose. A car horn startled them both, and Johnny turned the corner.

"Don't do that when I'm driving Backwoods. That's dangerous you know."

"Whatever. You're the one that's supposed to keep your eyes on the road, buck."

"And you're the one who's supposed to refrain from distracting me while we're on the road!" Johnny kept one hand on the wheel and stuck the other between Alli's leg because he knew he'd catch her off guard.

"What are you doing?" Alli screeched. "Hands off!" She reached up and pinched one of his cheeks.

"Ow!" Johnny's hand flew to his cheek and Alli giggled.

"That'll teach you to keep your hands to yourself mister!" They drove in silence for the next few minutes until Johnny snapped the radio on.

"You know Alli... I've missed you, too. It hasn't been easy trying to get over you... and I think I'm done trying. I love you too much." He glanced at her quickly, eager to get a response.

"Um... well, I love you more closest, most personal, bestest friend!" Alli squealed, pinching his other cheek. This time, Johnny didn't look so defeated after she'd basically shot him down and she was glad. If she thought about it long and hard, Alli knew that she'd eventually admit she felt the exact same way Johnny did. She just wasn't ready to admit it yet. It was too son.

When they reached Oak Gardens, Johnny made a show of hopping out of the convertible without actually opening the door. Alli knew it was all for play because Johnny was definitely not a show-off. When he walked around the front of the car to open the door for her, Alli's jaw dropped. Johnny was wearing dress pants! He never, never, ever dressed up – not in the least – so this was a real shock. Like it was April Fools Day or something.

She got out of the car and really studied him. The long sleeved gray T-shirt he was wearing hung loosely on his body. Alli smiled. He was pretty thin, but he tried to make his whole body look as muscular as his arms, which weren't that bulky in the first place.

Suddenly, he removed a bandanna from his pocket and grabbed Alli's hand. "There's a surprise for you inside," he lied. "Close your eyes." He stepped behind her and tied the bandanna over her eyes. Then he grabbed her hand and began leading her through the other rows of trailers.

This was all an act. The fanciest thing Johnny was contributing to the evening was his attire. He just wanted an excuse to hold Alli's hand. As they walked along, Alli began to realize that she wasn't as blind as she'd originally thought. Johnny was making circles on her palm with his thumb. It kind of tickled, but Alli liked the way it felt.

Upon reaching his trailer, Johnny helped Alli up the stairs, opened the door and helped her inside. "Can I take this off now?" she whined, slipping out of her coat and handing it to Johnny.

"Nope, not yet." He put her coat in the hall closet and then placed his hands on her shoulders. He began guiding her towards the kitchen. Once they were in the doorway, Johnny tapped her on the shoulder. "Now you can take it off, Princess."

"Whew!" Alli breathed out, removing the bandanna from her face. "Oh my gosh!" she shouted when she saw what was spread out on the table in front of her. A tablecloth that looked more like a bedspread dressed up the table, which had two candles sitting in the middle of it. Three platters of food encircled the candles.

Taking a step closer, Alli sighed and turned to look at Johnny. "Johnathan George DiMarco, why didn't you do any of this while we were dating?"

"I had this planned weeks ago. I didn't expect you to dump me flat on my ass last Saturday. Why do you think I still invited you over?"

"Because you'll never be able to get enough of me," Alli said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Okay Backwoods," Johnny said, trying not to laugh. Alli slipped out of her sweater and hung it on the back of her chair. Johnny noticed that her heels were higher than usual. She was also wearing an extremely short and tight tube dress. Her smooth, tan legs were almost all the way exposed. The pink, yellow and orange colors of her dress made the whole room light up.

Although he knew he was practically drooling, Johnny couldn't help himself. He finally looked away and opened the top left cabinet over the stove to find some plates. Removing a stack of dinner plates from the bottom shelf, Johnny turned and walked back over to the table and set the plates down.

He crossed the kitchen and took two wine glasses out of another cabinet. "I know you were expecting Veuve Clicquot, but all we have is Heineken," Johnny said, passing Alli a glass. "I honestly don't think you should be drinking any beer," Johnny told her. "Not after the post-concert happenings."

"I'll have some water," Alli said tartly. She'd caught Johnny ogling her earlier, but she hadn't wanted to say anything about it. Now she just wanted to eat and not feel so tense.

"Aaron's out, so you won't have to worry about any unexpected appearances," Johnny assured her.

"Cool." Alli exhaled slowly. Leaning forward in her seat, Alli lifted one of the platters and saw one plate of macaroni. She lifted the cover on the next platter and saw another plate of macaroni. Under the last cover was a heaping plate of frozen chicken tenders.

"Hey! You weren't supposed to peek!" Johnny complained, taking up the plates and sticking one of them in the microwave. "We also have some mixed vegetables," Johnny said, lifting the cover on a pot on the stove. "I begged my aunt to help me make these. Even though I know cooking is one of Aaron's secret hobbies. The burning of the waffles the other day was fake."

Alli shrugged. "I'm a girl and I don't cook at all."

"Wow, as a Muslim girl I thought you would have been cooking at age five."

"You don't know squat about Muslim girls so shut up and stop being a butthole."

"You know, you _could_ just say asshole. I won't tell." With a smirk, he poured water into her wine glass and beer into his. Alli laughed and poked him in the abdomen. She took one of the hot plates of macaroni and set it down in front of her. She added some vegetables and chicken tenders to the plate and took a sip of her water.

"Wow, what a nice array of foods," Alli quipped. She wasn't trying to be sarcastic, but her words came out sounding that way.

"Yeah. It's the best I could do," Johnny said, fixing his own plate. The candlelight flickered in his eyes, and Alli took another sip of her water. Just looking at Johnny made her thirsty.

"Do you miss how things used to be?" she wondered out of the blue, gingerly setting her wine glass down. "With us, I mean."

"How could I not?" Johnny began gulping down his beer. "You were so much fun, Alli. That's why I fell in love with you."

Taking a bite of one of her chicken tenders, Alli smiled. Johnny's kind words were already beginning to make her heart melt. If they both felt the same way, wouldn't it make sense if they got back together?

"I also miss our wackiness, or rather, _my_ wackiness," Johnny added. Alli wrinkled her eyebrows together and shoved a spoonful of mixed vegetables into her mouth. Pulling up his sleeves, Johnny bit into a chicken tender, chewed and swallowed. "Like when I let Holly J. of all people break us up."

"Yeah, that was pretty stupid," Alli admitted, starting on her macaroni. "You really did break my heart that time. For no reason."

"I did feel really bad about it afterwards and I apologized, you took me back and all was forgiven. Am I right?" Nodding slowly, Alli took another bite of her chicken tender.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"For what?" Johnny wondered.

"For this. I know you hate fancy stuff. It was really nice of you."

"Well, like I said, I planned this out weeks ago. I wasn't going to scrap it all just because you dumped me."

"Still," Alli insisted, "it was very sweet." She kicked him under the table, remembering that Johnny was only her friend. The whole atmosphere of the dinner was very romantic, but it wasn't supposed to be.

"Hey, what was that for?" Tipping his head back, Johnny emptied the rest of his wine glass into his mouth.

"We're friends. We're supposed to get down and dirty."

"Okay Princess." Johnny rose from his seat and walked over to the fridge to get another beer. Glancing at her watch, Alli smiled and finished her macaroni. It wasn't yet six o' clock, so she had about another three and a half hours to spend with Johnny.

He sat down with his beer-filled wine glass. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. Rising from his seat once more, Johnny sighed in exasperation. Aaron had promised to stay out with his friends until at least eight-thirty.

Opening the door, Johnny wasn't surprised to see his brother standing there, a cocky grin plastered onto his face. "What are you doing here?" Johnny said through his teeth. "You promised me we'd have this one last night alone."

"Sorry John," Aaron said, stepping inside. He patted him on the shoulder and laughed. Alli had been standing in the kitchen doorway listening in on their conversation. When she heard their footsteps coming up the hallway, she hurried back over to her seat again.

"You did this on purpose," Johnny grumbled, sitting back down across from Alli.

"How could anyone possibly ruin a ghetto dinner?" Aaron exclaimed. "Frozen Tyson chicken nuggets, overdone mac n' cheese and vegetables that Rissa helped you make? Come on, John."

"Just shut up and leave us alone, Aaron." Finishing off her water, Alli pursed her lips and set her wine glass down. Thankfully, Aaron didn't acknowledge her and stalked into the living room.

There was another knock at the door, and Johnny stood up again, taking his wine glass with him this time. When he answered the door for the second time in three minutes, he took a sip of his beer and then staggered backwards. "Rissa? What are you doing home so early?

"Oh Johnathan, look at the tools I bought for you and Aaron to use. You didn't forget you promised to work on my car, did you?" Setting down his glass, Johnny helped her with her bags and closed the door. His night with Alli was now going to be a party for four.

Johnny saw his aunt heading towards the kitchen and he raced after her, trying to grab her arm, but it was too late. Stumbling into the kitchen, Rissa put her bags down and then glanced over her shoulder. "My goodness!" Her hands flew to her mouth and she stepped closer to Alli. "Is this her? Is this the girl?" She pointed at Alli and turned to look at Johnny.

"Rissa, you didn't answer my question. What are you doing home so early? You weren't supposed to get off 'til ten."

"Hello dear. I'm Marissa, Johnathan and Aaron's aunt." Alli shook the woman's hand and smiled.

"I'm Alli Bhandari. Johnny's... friend." It was hard to introduce herself, because Alli had no idea what she was to Johnny anymore.

"I've heard so much about you. I couldn't wait to finally_ meet_ you!" For some reason, when Johnny had said he lived with his aunt, Alli thought grandmother. Marissa was much younger than Alli had expected her to be. She looked almost exactly like Johnny, almost as if she could have been his mother.

"Same here," Alli said, "I've always wanted to meet you, but Johnny insisted on keeping you a secret."

"Why Johnathan! How dare you keep such a beautiful young girl from meeting me! Why not make her feel like a part of the family?"

"Rissa...." Johnny blushed, and Alli could feel her own cheeks heating up.

"Believe me, it really is an honor," Alli covered for him, smiling at Marissa again.

"Since you guys are finished eating dinner, how about I take you all out for ice cream? Then we can get to know each other a little bit better."

"Sure," Alli said, rising from her seat. She slid into her sweater again as Johnny put the dishes in the sink. Aaron stayed in the living room like Alli hoped he would. Maybe he'd cooled down since last Saturday, but Alli wasn't sure she'd be able to deal with his ever-changing testosterone levels combined with her mixed emotions about Johnny and where they stood.

Once they were outside, Marissa linked arms with Alli and started walking, leaving Johnny to trail behind. "I thought we were going out for ice cream," Alli said, glancing at Marissa.

"Oh, Baskin's is five minutes away," she told her with a wink. "Okay, your name is Alli, right?" Marissa asked. She was really bad with names. Nodding, Alli smiled at the middle-aged woman. "Johnathan never shuts up about you! He really does love you to death. I hope you know that."

"Yeah. I do." Alli turned to look at Johnny, but he wasn't paying attention.

"I know that people of your background wouldn't usually make friends with people like Johnathan," Marissa said softly. "How did your parents like him?"

"Actually, um," Alli bit down on her bottom lip. She wasn't sure if a lie was necessary or not. When Johnny didn't cough or interrupt her, Alli continued with caution. "Johnny hasn't met my parents yet."

"Well, you guys are going to have to do something about that, right?" Marissa nudged Alli's side and chuckled.

"Of course," Alli agreed. They reached the ice cream parlor and ordered what they wanted. Upon receiving their ice cream, they took seats in a booth by the window.

"I hear you're good in school too," Marissa announced before digging her plastic spoon into a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

"Yeah. I'm a pretty good student if I do say so myself," Alli replied. Johnny hadn't said anything since they left his trailer and Alli was confused. Wasn't this a part of the plan?

"How long have you two been friends?" Marissa asked, licking some ice cream off the bottom of her spoon.

"Um, since the beginning of the school year," Johnny mumbled.

"That's wonderful!" Marissa beamed at Alli and began scraping out the bottom of her cup.

"Yeah, we've been close for a while," Alli whispered, licking her vanilla cone. Johnny looked away and started slurping up what was left of his milkshake.

After everyone had finished their ice cream, the three walked back towards the trailer Johnny shared with his paternal aunt and his brother. When they came to Johnny's car, Alli and Marissa said their goodbyes.

"It was so nice to finally meet you!" Squeezing her tight, Marissa breathed in Alli's perfume.

"Same here." Alli smiled and pulled out of the hug.

"I hope you'll come back and visit us again soon," Marissa added. "Have a nice night!"

Waving, Alli called out, "I will. Bye!"

As soon as they were in the car, Johnny sighed. "So how'd you like her?"

"She was really nice. I wish my mom was half as nice as her."

"Great." Starting up the car, Johnny sat back in his seat and licked his lips, waiting for it to warm up.

"Look, I know you didn't want me to meet her, but... it was wasn't so bad. As a matter of fact, it wasn't bad at all. It was great."

"It's not that, Alli." Backing out of the parking lot, Johnny turned on his headlights. "It was just very unexpected and I didn't think we were both ready yet."

"Yeah, well _I_ was. I know we're not together anymore, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring about you Johnny." He stopped at a red light and grabbed Alli's hand.

"Listen, I'm sorry Alli." He paused and ran a hand through his hair. "I miss you. I really do." Clearing his throat, he squeezed some of her fingers together and gave her a small smile. "I want you to be my girlfriend again." Leaning in closer, Johnny pressed a tender kiss to Alli's lips. Just as he was about to pull away, the sound of blaring car horns startled them apart.

"Shit!" Johnny swore, turning the corner. "I forgot we were at a stop light."

"Yeah. I can tell." Alli giggled. For some reason, she felt giddy. She hadn't felt this way during their first relationship at all. Maybe it was because of all the things they'd been through the first time around. She had truly grown to love Johnny and she felt like a woman now. Loving someone required maturity, and Alli knew that she now fully understood both concepts.

"So... what's next? What does this mean?"

"Well, I was thinking... maybe you _should_ meet my parents first," Alli suggested.

"I think I'll need a nuclear bomb, a machine gun, and a whole entire army to walk in your house and come out without getting my balls chopped off."

"Oh stop it!" Alli punched him in the arm.

"We'll see," Johnny said. "Maybe we can work something out."

"We will. Or at least I will." Alli ran her fingers through her hair. "I really think they'd like you if I made them see past certain things."

Chuckling, Johnny turned onto her street and came to a stop near an abandoned lot. "Wow. Hmm... they'd have to see past the fact that I'm white, my whole entire lifestyle, my age...."

"The thing is, we have to convince them that we're such close friends, nothing bad could ever happen between us."

They both got out of Johnny's rental car and began walking. "You know, I wasn't sure that we could last," Johnny began, taking Alli's hands in his.

"And we didn't," Alli reminded him.

"Look." Johnny stopped walking. "I know it hasn't even been two weeks, but you're the one for me, Alli. I'm sure of that."

Smiling, Alli stood on her tiptoes and pecked Johnny on the lips. "Maybe we should be friends with benefits for now."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed, "maybe we should."

* * *

Keep reading and reviewing please! Remember, the more reviews I get, the more I'll be inspired. Once again, please don't favorite/alert without reviewing! I'd like to get all the opinions I can.


	11. Done Sneaking Around

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 11: Done Sneaking Around

It wasn't even six in the morning; the sun had yet to rise. Alli couldn't sleep. Although it was Saturday, she didn't have any real, solid plans for the day. The previous night with Johnny had her on an all time high, so she figured that was to blame for her insomnia. Sitting up on her bed, Alli reached for her phone. All night long it had sat there without moving.

She hadn't gotten any text messages or calls for more than twelve hours. It was really confusing. Last night with Johnny had been a lot of fun, but she wasn't really sure if they were back together or not. Of course it would make her seem really desperate and pathetic if she asked, but she figured she'd at lest talk to him and see where exactly they stood.

Dialing his number, Alli sighed into her phone and fell back on her bed. While she waited on him to pick up the phone, Alli chewed off both of her pinky nails and was about to start on her thumb nails when he answered. "You know it's 5:53 in the morning, right?" Alli pictured Johnny leaning up on his elbow, smirking. The smell of his cheap cologne filled the room, and the wife beater he was wearing had holes in the back.

"Yeah, I do." Alli giggled and put him on speaker phone.

"So, what are you doing right now?"

"Um...." Alli pursed her lips. "Just laying in bed."

"Oh. I am too. As a matter of fact, I was sound asleep until my cell phone came to life."

"I'm sorry I woke you up," Alli pushed her bed sheets over to a corner of her bed and giggled again. Just listening to Johnny talk made her feel warm and tingly all over. "I just wanted to hear your voice. I missed you."

"What? Alli, you saw me last night."

"Well duh. I'm talking about before. When we were apart."

"Look, I'm not the one to blame. _You_ were the one who broke up with _me_, Alli."

"I know. It was a tough decision." With a sigh, Alli swung her legs over the edge of her bed and shoved her feet into her fuzzy bunny slippers. "And I think I'm regretting that decision."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alli knew that Johnny was just messing with her. He wanted her to say what was on her mind, express her true feelings.

"Are we... us again?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Huh?" Alli felt her throat tighten.

"If you want to be, then yeah."

"Do you?"

"I asked you first."

"Come on, Johnny."

"Alli, I love you. I don't know how many times I'm going to tell you that and have you not believe me."

"I do believe you. For some reason, I'm not sure if I can trust you with my heart."

"We had a lot of fun last time, Alli. We can try it out again, or we can remain friends. I think you really should make a decision soon because you've got me all over the place with your up and down, friends not friends shit. I can't take it anymore!"

"Johnny, I didn't want it to be this way. I didn't ask for this... these feelings."

"I know. You're a woman." They both laughed.

"So... now that we're official again, can we celebrate?"

"Yeah, I'll start sending out invitations to our wedding."

"Shut up and stop acting like a jackass."

"Fine. Fine." There was a brief pause, and Alli sighed into the mouthpiece on accident. "Can I see you sometime today?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Currently, Alli felt as if she were shining as bright as the hottest sun.

"I really want to kiss you right now," Johnny whispered, and Alli felt like she feel the electricity spark from her phone into her veins.

"Really?" Her voice squeaked. Alli couldn't help it. She felt like they were back at step one again, and it was hard to figure out how to feel.

"Yeah. I do."

Johnny cleared his throat and then sighed. "Where do you want to go?"

"I'll let you choose. You're much more adventurous than me anyway," Alli said.

"Well, I think we should go to my special place," Johnny told her.

"You mean the lake?" Alli asked.

"Wow, you remembered. That's pretty cool."

"How could I forget? That was one of the most special moments of my life."

"Aw," Johnny said. "You made me blush, Alli."

"Yeah. Whatever. You're not exactly a hopeless romantic, Johnathan."

"So we're set then?"

"Definitely. I don't really want to talk to my parents anyway. I have to get out of the house."

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you later." Alli lowered her voice as there was a loud knock at the door.

"Don't forget your bathing suit," Johnny reminded her.

"I won't. Love you. Bye."

"Bye." She clicked off and rose from her bed to answer the door. Sav was standing there, holding a cup to his ear.

"Uh, hi... I didn't mean to knock; you can go back to your conversation if you want-"

"Were you trying to listen in on my private conversation?" Alli shouted, grabbing the cup out of Sav's hand.

"No, I just-" Sav stopped talking as a look of realization came over his face. "Were you talking to Johnny?"

"Why would I be? I haven't seen him in almost two weeks." With a sigh, Alli pushed past him. She walked into the kitchen and poured some Fruit Loops into a bowl. It was already almost seven, and she was going to have to start getting ready for church soon.

Walking into the living room, Alli turned on the TV and switched it over to the Style Network. A picture of Mia on the runway blew up on the screen and Alli rolled her eyes. At first it had been cool, but now Alli was just sick of her. Even though she had her autograph, she doubted it would actually be worth anything in the future.

After she finished her cereal, Alli washed up her bowl and her spoon. She figured it'd be best to take a shower while the bathroom was still free. Once she'd taken a nice, hot shower, Alli pulled her hair back into a ponytail and slipped into her ankle length black dress.

It was still early, so Alli decided to take a walk. As soon as she stepped outside, Alli saw Johnny's rented red convertible driving by.

"Hey Johnny! Wait!" She called out, running down the path that lead to her front door and flapping her arms wildly.

"What the-?" Johnny came to a stop in the middle of the road. Hopping out of the car, he wrapped his arms arms around her waist as she fell into his arms.

"What are you doing here?" Alli asked. "It's still so early it's a little bit dark out here."

Johnny shrugged. "Well, I know your friend lives, like, the street over," Johnny began.

"Yeah...." Alli winced. She could already feel a blister forming on her little toe from the friction it created with her flats.

"Well, I heard her sister was in town and I wanted to catch up." Alli vaguely remembered Clare mentioning that Darcy was returning to Canada for winter break. Wait.

"_Darcy_?!" Alli screeched.

"Yeah, Darcy." Averting his eyes, Johnny smirked. "Why? Does Clare have any other sisters?"

"No, but... why would you be talking to her?"

"Because she's my friend, Alli. Nothing more." He reached down and grabbed both of her hands. "You understand that, right?"

"I thought you said you hooked up with her."

"Yeah. Once. We were both trying to get rid of our problems. It was stupid and we used each other. Consider it a mistake."

Although Alli wanted to believe him, she wasn't sure that she could. "Yeah, it's fine. I understand." They began walking.

"I should probably move my car first," Johnny said. Alli nodded and stood on the sidewalk, facing the sun. Once he'd parked in front of a house farther down the street, Johnny jumped out of the convertible and began running up the sidewalk towards her.

"So," he breathed out. "Let's take a walk." His chest rose and fell steadily. His cheeks were a little pink from running and his nose and the tips of his ears were red from the cold. The jacket he was wearing was pulled tightly around his body and Alli wrapped her arms around herself and smiled. He was extremely adorable.

"You cold?" He asked.

"Well, obviously," Alli mumbled as sweetly as possible.

"Here." Taking his jacket off, Johnny wrapped it around Alli's shoulders.

"It's freezing out here," Alli complained. "Are you gonna be okay without it?"

"Anything for you, my love." Johnny threw his arm around her shoulders. "So where you headed, you sexy nun, you?"

"I'm going to church in about half an hour," Alli told him.

"You're gonna give those little Muslim boys a heart attack showing your arms like that," Johnny teased.

"Shut up," Alli grumbled.

"You know, I have some things to do." Johnny said, stopping on the corner of the street.

"What kinds of things?" Alli inquired, her tone now serious.

"Pick up my car, maybe go over to Bruce's place...."

"Oh, okay. Well see you later." Alli stood on her tiptoes for a kiss. Johnny immediately pushed her back towards a large maple tree and thrust his tongue into her mouth. After they broke apart for air, he began trailing butterfly kissed down Alli's collarbone. "I'm going to church soon; you're gonna make me feel guilty, stop it!" Alli giggled, pushing his face away from hers.

Suddenly, Johnny tripped over a tree branch and they both fell into a pile of leaves. "Ah!" Alli shouted. Johnny was on top of her. He rolled over and lay back on the grass. "Now my dress is ruined and it's all your fault!"

Alli brushed some leaves off the front of her dress. A leaf fell from one of the higher tree branches and landed on Alli's cheek. Brushing it off, Johnny ran his fingertips over Alli's chin. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," Alli replied. This time it rolled off her tongue effortlessly. She leaned in for another kiss and Johnny hugged her so tightly, she felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. "I should probably go," Alli said softly, pulling away.

"I just want to hold you for a little bit longer," Johnny insisted. He held her tighter as leaves fell around them.

--

By the time Alli got home from church, she was absolutely glowing. That morning, running into Johnny unexpectedly, had been so magical. She had to tell Clare all about it. "Hey!" She squeaked into the phone once Clare had picked up.

"Uh... wow. Alli, I haven't spoken to you in nearly three weeks," Clare snapped. Not such a warm greeting.

"Yeah, I've been kinda busy," Alli tried to explain, even though she knew it was a lame excuse. "With my boyfriend and all."

"I thought you broke up with him," Clare practically spat.

"Yeah, I did. But now we're back together. Is that a problem?" Alli was done playing nice if Clare was going to keep acting like a bitch.

"No, not that it's my business anyway," Clare mumbled. Alli sighed. Somehow, she needed to find a way to change the subject. "So, do you remember that party KC invited you to?" Clare wondered.

"Oh crap!" Alli shouted. "That was yesterday, wasn't it?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"No," Clare replied. "You're lucky we rescheduled it, though."

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Alli cheered. "Can I still come?"

"Of course, but _don't_ bring a friend," Clare demanded. Alli knew that by 'friend' she meant Johnny.

"I wasn't going to," Alli replied, clicking off. She had never hung up on Clare angry before. Why was her best friend acting like that?

--

Two hours later, Alli packed her baby blue duffel bag with a beach towel, her favorite pink and yellow bikini, and some yellow flip flops. She thought better of it and decided to put her bathing suit on under her clothes. She slipped out of her denim jeans and pulled her orange Tommy Hilifiger T-shirt over her head.

Sliding into her bathing suit, Alli gazed into the mirror that hung on the back of the door to her room. She placed a hand on her hip and pouted. The straps of her bikini top were almost digging into her shoulders, but she still looked extra hot. Her chest was getting bigger too, so that was a bonus. The colors really complimented her and Alli already had a confidence that made her sexy. She knew Johnny would love it, too.

Pulling her tank top back on and stepping into her jeans, Alli checked her teeth in the mirror. Grabbing her bag off the top of her bed, Alli walked out the door. "Mother, Anya said the Power Squad could use some extra hands."

"Doing what, Alliana?" Mrs. Bhandari inquired.

"She said they need some alternate cheerleaders," Alli clarified.

"Oh?" Mrs. Bhandari raised her eyebrows.

"I'm auditioning. Today." Alli gripped the strap of her duffel bag.

"On a Sunday, Alliana?"

"Yes, mother," Alli said firmly, moving towards the door. "I should be home by eight or whatever," she grumbled.

"You better be!" Her mother yelled before the door slammed behind Alli. Technically, she wasn't lying this time. Anya _had _asked her to audition for Power Squad. The only difference was, she'd asked her to stop by the gym after school this Friday, not today.

Walking up the street, Alli beamed when she saw Johnny driving towards her. "Hey," she waved and got into the car. "I missed this car," Alli sighed, pressing her face into the head rest on her seat. "I'm so used to it."

"So am I," Johnny reminded her, placing a quick kiss on her over glossed lips. "Did you bring a bathing suit like I told you to?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alli said sweetly.

"Good, 'cause I can't wait to see you in it." Licking his lips, Johnny turned the corner and snapped on the radio. Alli placed her hand over his and he glanced over in her direction. "What?"

"Honestly, I think we've been listening to enough metal."

"And what are you suggesting?"

"Maybe some...." Turning the dial, Alli waited until she heard a song she recognized. "SexyBack?" Johnny grimaced.

A minute later, Alli heard Johnny singing the words softly under his breath. "What? You know this song; you_ like_ this song? Get out!" She punched him in the arm.

"It's a club hit, Alli."

"So? You don't just like pop music, you like Justin Timberlake and Timbaland! This is rich!"

"I'm open-minded, okay?" Johnny groaned and his cheeks turned a light pink.

"I am so telling Bruce, Aaron, Reese, Delia...." Alli ticked off the names on her fingers.

"You wouldn't."

"No, I wouldn't. Relax." Alli giggled. "It's still funny, though."

"Not really." Johnny poked her in the stomach and Alli dropped the subject. It was nice that Johnny could enjoy pop music. He wasn't the typical teenage boy at all.

Once they arrived at the lake, Johnny opened the left back door of the car and pulled out a large picnic basket. "Rissa made this," he told her.

"Really?" Alli's eyes widened. "That must have taken forever."

"Yeah, but she works in weaving, so she's good at it." They held hands as they walked over to Johnny's favorite spot. They put their bags behind the rock and Johnny spread out a classic red-and-white checkered picnic blanket.

"What's in here?" Alli opened the picnic basket and peered inside.

"Oh, just some goodies I know you'll love." Smirking, Johnny patted the empty space next to him on the blanket and Alli sat down with the picnic basket on her lap. "But," Johnny removed the picnic basket from her lap and set it down beside him.

"I think we should swim first. You know, so you don't get cramps after you eat."

"Well..." Alli shrugged. "Sure." She tugged her top off over her head and then held it in front of her. Jumping up, she scurried behind the rock to take off her shorts.

"What are you doing?" Johnny laughed.

"What'd you think I was gonna do? Change in front of you? Keep dreaming."

"Wow," Johnny breathed out, as Alli stepped from the behind the rock. He took in all of her body with his greedy green eyes. "That bathing suit really... suits you... so well."

"Of course it does," Alli agreed. Her long legs and arms glinted as the sun peeked down on then. The bright colors made her eyes pop. "Now it's my turn."

She fell into Johnny's lap and pulled his shirt up over his shoulders. Johnny barely had time to react as Alli tugged his shirt off. He'd just been fantasizing about her sexy body and now here she was all ninety-nine pounds, sitting in his lap. "Easy there, tiger!" Johnny shouted as Alli reached for his belt buckle.

"Just let me work my magic," Alli whispered as seductively as she could. Grabbing Johnny's hands, Alli dragged him to his feet and unbuckled his belt. Removing the belt from the loops on his jeans, Alli tossed it onto the ground and looked up at Johnny. "Don't worry," she said softly, just like that time at the ravine.

Unbuttoning his jeans, Alli leaned down and pulled them down until they were around his ankles. Johnny stepped out of them and smiled at Alli. His skin was exceptionally pale, and his blonde hair curled over onto his shoulders.

His swim trunks were navy blue and the drawstrings hung loose between his legs. Alli smiled back mischievously. "Race ya!" She yelled suddenly, running towards the wide open body of water. Chill bumps formed on her arms and legs before she even felt the muddy water on the banks of the lake squish between her toes. She could practically feel Johnny running behind her as they splashed into the chilly water.

Alli dove down into the water, not caring how deep it was. Her long, jet black hair was soaked, and her scalp was tingling for some reason. She whipped around to see if Johnny was behind her. He'd already almost encircled his arms around her waist. Alli shot up to the surface for air and Johnny popped up beside her. "You're a pretty good swimmer, Backwoods," Johnny commented, slicking his hair back and away from his face.

"I know."Alli winked at him, and he swam a little closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, so tightly, Alli had to suck in her stomach. "God, you look amazing, you feel amazing... you are amazing."

Wrapping her legs around his waist, Alli placed both hands on his chest, leaning into him. She planted a kiss on his lips and deepened it as soon as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Alli turned her head slightly and circled her arms around Johnny's neck, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. When they pulled apart for air, Alli felt as if she were on fire even though the water was ice cold. Johnny squeezed her butt cheeks and Alli shivered, dunking back under the water and slithering out of his grasp.

He grabbed her again and pulled her back to the surface. Cupping her face in his hands, Johnny smashed his mouth into hers, kissing her as passionately and fervently as he'd wanted to for so long. He couldn't resist any long. Usually he was the one stopped the action, but now he was happy to be starting it. "Oh my gosh," Alli exhaled and shivered in Johnny's arms. "I never thought I'd go swimming in late November," Alli said, kissing him again.

"And I never thought I'd fall in love with someone like you, Alli Bhandari." He pressed his lips into hers, and Alli realized they were starting to feel numb. She pressed her left cheek into his chest and whispered, "I love you more than anything."

"I love you with every fiber of my being." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Then he backed away so they were facing each other. Alli kissed him on the lips quickly and he snapped the strap of her bikini top against her shoulder.

Dipping his head down, he pressed a kiss to her chest and then inched her a strap of her bikini top down the side of her arm. "I want to kiss you all over," Johnny said softly, but Alli barely heard him because she was too buys imagining all the things that could happen in the next few minutes... and how unsafe it would all be, in more ways than one.

She could already tell that Johnny was aroused. His swim trunks were pretty thin, and she could feel him pressing into her upper thigh. "Johnny," Alli said urgently, pulling away and adjusting the straps of her bikini top. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she smiled. "I don't think we should... I mean, we don't even have...." She looked away. "A condom."

"I never said anything about sex, Alli. I just...." Johnny rubbed a thumb over her shoulder. "I missed your body, that's all." Alli lay on her back, floating. "I respect you, Alli, but you have to remember that I'm a guy."

"Oh, I do." Alli chuckled, turning and pulling his swim trunks down in one swift motion.

"You're lucky I'm wearing underwear, Backwoods!" Johnny shouted, pulling his swim trunks up as Alli back paddled away from him.

"You'll never catch me! Ha ha ha!" She fake laughed. She dipped her head underwater and felt the cold liquid rush into her eyes. When she reached the edge closest to the rock, Alli walked towards it until the dark green water just lapped around her ankles.

Squeezing her hair out, she jumped when Johnny smacked her ass and splashed water into her arms. "That was fun, wasn't it?" he asked. They both took seats on the picnic blanket, even though they were still soaking wet.

"Yeah, it was. Definitely." Alli nodded, running her hands over her face. Trails of lake water trickled down her back and onto the patchy grass below. Johnny opened the picnic basket and removed a huge chocolate cake wrapped in plastic. Next, he pulled out a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Alli's jaw dropped.

"How'd you know I love chocolate?"

"Doesn't every girl?" Johnny wondered, removing the plastic from both plates. He took out a knife and cut two slices of cake for them both. Dipping her index finger into the frosting, Alli smiled and licked it off.

"It's so sweet."

"Just like you," Johnny said before biting into the large slab of cake.

"Aw, thanks." Alli licked more frosting off the top of her slice of cake. "This was really nice of you."

"Well, they had a bake sale at Rissa's work, and she brought home a shitload of leftovers, so there's plenty more where that came from!" Alli reached over and picked Johnny's piece of cake up from the plate.

"Open," she instructed, and Johnny opened his mouth to take a small bite. Deciding it'd be fun to get back at him for his moodiness, his bad choices, and for making her life so complicated, Alli shoved the entire thing into his mouth.

"Ah!" His eyes flew open, and his cry was muffled by the chocolate cake, which was now falling out of his mouth in clumps.

Once he could actually speak, Johnny shouted, "What was that for?"

"Just for everything you've ever done to hurt me," Alli replied with a smirk.

"Okay then, here's payback for dumping me last Saturday," Johnny retorted, smashing the chocolatey confection against Alli's upper chest.

"Oh, that was so wrong!" Leaning forward, Alli pointed to Johnny's left cheek. "You missed a spot," she whispered, scooting closer to him. He stuck his tongue out and tried to lick the remnants of cake off his face, but Alli was quicker.

She reached forward and pinched both of his cheeks at the same time, extra hard. They both smiled at each other. This game was getting better and better. Grabbing both of Alli's wrists, Johnny pinned her to the ground and began tickling her sides. "Ha ha ha!" Alli screeched, trying to wriggle free of his grasp.

"I'm not gonna stop until you say you're sorry," he whispered into her neck.

"Fine. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The tickling ceased and Alli sat up. Johnny pushed her back down onto the blanket and stroked her cheek.

"You're so adorable, even if you _are _covered in chocolate cake." Johnny chuckled and kissed her on the lips. Alli felt so great. He still tasted like chocolate, and the way their bodies were pressed together felt like the pieces of a puzzle.

When he pulled away, he lay down next to her and entwined their fingers. "You really need a tan," Alli quipped, snuggling closer to him and laying her head down on his chest.

"I'm not a Malibu Ken doll, okay?" Johnny scoffed. "I think I prefer staying white over spraying myself burnt orange."

"Whatever, Mr. Vampire," Alli joked, squeezing one of his nipples.

Johnny winced as if he were in pain, causing Alli to laugh. They lay like that for a bit longer, in the chilly November air. Johnny started eating a cookie, and Alli yelled, "Hey! I want one!" He took one off the plate and handed it to her.

"You know what else chocolate's good for?" Raising his eyebrows, he smirked at her. "Bedroom stuff." Punching him on the shoulder, Alli shook her head.

"Leave it up to you to kill a moment with your pervertedness!" Johnny sat up and dragged his Black Sabbath T-shirt over his head.

"We should probably get going," he suggested. Standing to her feet, Alli squeezed her hair out again and pulled it back into a ponytail. Stepping into his jeans, Johnny removed his car keys from his back pocket. Drying off with her beach towel made Alli feel a little warmer. She slipped into her tank top and jeans quickly.

Johnny returned the plates of baked goods to the picnic basket while Alli folded up the picnic blanket. They grabbed their other bags from behind the rock and began walking towards Johnny's car.

Before she turned around, Alli thought she saw Sav's red Subaru driving past on the other side of the lake. But it couldn't be. Alli knew that Anya lived in Johnny's neighborhood, but what are the odds he'd be driving by at the exact same time she was at the lake with Johnny? Was he spying on her?

When they got to Johnny's car, they threw their bags in the backseat. Once they were inside the car, Johnny turned towards her. "Alli, I need to talk to you." Shrugging, Alli knitted her eyebrows together.

"So talk. I'm listening."

"No, I mean, I think-" He stopped and licked his lips. "I want us to have a serious conversation."

Alli sighed. "Whatever." The ten minute ride to Johnny's place didn't feel that awkward, but it was kind of tense. They unpacked his car and walked to his trailer.

Once the door had closed behind them, Alli put her bag down and followed Johnny into the kitchen. "So, what was so important that you couldn't talking about it in the car?" Turning around, Johnny shook his head slowly.

"Never mind that for now," he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"That sure is a lot of leftovers," Alli commented, glancing over at the countertop closest to the sink, which was filled with plates of muffins, cakes, cookies, and pies.

"Yeah, and apparently my aunt was the only one who got to bring stuff home, huh?" Johnny chuckled and kissed Alli on the cheek. He moved past her, towards the doorway of the kitchen. "You know," he began, "I kinda had a hot date planned for tonight."

Crossing her arms tightly over her chest, Alli cocked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? With who?"

"Oh, just my scissors and a brush," Johnny explained. Alli sighed with relief. For some reason, she'd been scared for a moment there.

"Do you want me to drop you home?" Johnny wondered. "'Cause I'm just gonna wash my hair, take a shower, and then chill."

"No." Alli pulled Johnny towards her and gave him a quick kiss. "I have an idea." Leading him out of the kitchen, Alli dragged her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor.

"What kind of idea?" Alli decided to ignore Johnny's question. She stepped into the bathroom and flicked on the light. "Seriously Alli, what's going on here?" He followed her into the bathroom.

Pulling the elastic from her hair, Alli walked over and began filling the tub with water. "I'm gonna wash your hair for you. Sex it up a little bit."

"Wow. Okay." Johnny stepped out of his jeans and removed his shirt for the second time in two hours. Alli took off her shorts and sat down on the edge of the tub.

Johnny took out his shampoo from the medicine cabinet. Sliding into the tub, he sat down between Alli's legs. Taking the bottle of shampoo from his hands, Alli squeezed it until heaping globs of the shampoo fell into her palm.

The thick shampoo was so heavily scented, Alli was sure that she'd be smelling it on her hands for days. Slathering it onto Johnny's dark blonde head, Alli kneaded her fingers into his scalp as hard as she could.

Although she hadn't been trying to make it that sexual, Johnny titled his head back and groaned. Alli dug her fingernails into his scalp and smiled down at all the suds and piles of bubbles that were falling into the water. Once she was sure Johnny's hair would towel-dry to be squeaky clean, Alli dunked his head under the water and made sure he didn't get any soap in his eyes.

"Wow," Johnny said, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. Alli got the feeling that he didn't wash his hair often in the first place. "Do you wanna, uh, take a shower?"

"Johnny, you know I'm not ready for those things... yet."

"Not together, Backwoods. I thought you would want to scrub yourself until you turned pink after being in the lake water all that time."

"Gosh, Johnny I am not that much of a primadonna!"

"Whatever you say Backwoods." Johnny stood up and drained the water from the tub. Swinging her legs over the edge of the tub, Alli stepped out and dried her calves and feet on Johnny's towel.

Johnny towel dried his hair and glanced into the mirror as he walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to his room. Alli was already waiting for him on his bed. He looked closer and realized that she was wearing his favorite Slayer T-shirt. "I'm gonna go drink a beer," Johnny mumbled as he slipped an old Woodstock T-shirt over his head.

Shuffling back towards the kitchen, Johnny felt Alli encircle her arms around his abdomen. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, Johnny made his into the living room.

Alli kept at his heels until he plopped down on the couch. "Look Alli," he said. "I'm about to get wasted. Are you gonna be able to watch without partaking?" Cracking open the beer, Johnny sighed and sat back. Alli laid her head on his shoulder.

After Johnny took his first sip, Alli pried the can from his hands and took a long gulp of the ice cold brownish gray liquid. "Alli, I honestly don't think that's a good idea." Removing the can from her hands, Johnny smirked and began chugging the can's contents.

"You know," Alli declared, her voice already warbling, "I don't want to hide you anymore. We need to come out."

"We're not gay, Backwoods. And besides, us coming out would just make everything worse."

"Says who?" Alli took the can from him and took another, even longer sip. "I'm tired of having to go through hoops and bend over backwards just to see you. It's not fair."

"Oh yeah? Well, life isn't fair, Ms. Alliana. I thought you would have heard that saying by now."

"I have. And it's stupid. Just like you're acting right now." Tilting his head back, Johnny drained the can of beer and slung his arm around Alli's shoulder.

"I was gonna ask about me meeting your parents, but I'm just not-" Alli scooted into Johnny's lap and started nibbling on his neck.

"I just wanna have some fun!" Alli shouted, all of her words running together.

"You know, Alli, you get drunk_ way_ too easily. You should really work on that."

"I will... eventually." Alli fell into him and planted a wet kiss on his thin lips. Johnny slid his arms around her waist and pressed her into the couch, sliding his hand up under her shirt. This was going to be a long night....

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Whoo! Last update before the new season! I can't wait! Two Johnny/Alli centric episodes in the first batch – yes! I'd like some more reviews for this chapter. It's extra long, and I really don't like the inconsistency with the reviews. I appreciate them of course, and I'm not trying to complain, but if you **read** the chapter just **drop a line** please! Don't worry, there _are_ some loyal reviewers out there and I know who you are. =)


	12. Want and Need

This is the last update before "Shoot to Thrill." The episode I know all the readers of this story should be dying to see. For the U.S. viewers it airs tomorrow, and I'm not sure I'll still ship Johnny/Alli after I see it! This story will be going on as planned. Read on!

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**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 12: Want and Need

The Bhandari family was sitting around the table eating breakfast. Sav was picked at eggs. Alli looked up and caught her parents staring at her. Of course they both found something new to fixate their eyes on as soon as she glanced their way. Something wasn't right. No one was making conversation.

Taking a sip of her orange juice, Alli kicked Sav under the table. He stopped moving his eggs from ones side of his plate to the other and glared at Alli. It was starting to feel incredibly awkward just sitting there listening to forks and knives scrape across plates. "Um, do you recall my last report card?" Alli cleared her throat and looked at her mother expectantly. If she had to step up and break the silence, then so be it. Her parents simply _had _to acknowledge the fact that she had gotten a low B in Chemistry 101.

"Ah yes," Mr. Bhandari set his coffee mug down and looked up at the ceiling. "I remember you saying you needed a tutor because you did not have the required ninety-five percent average you need to be valedictorian?"

"Father, I'm in the ninth grade! You should be grilling Sav about being valedictorian, not me!"

"Calm your nerves, Alliana. When your marks are above average, you have to take the heat. But if you don't want your family's praise, then...." Grinding her teeth together, Alli pushed her plate to the side and considered storming off. She knew she couldn't though; that type of childish behavior would make her look even more stupid.

"I appreciate my family's support, but I know I need extra help in that particular subject."

"Well, I told you I'd get you a tutor once I was fully aware that you were serious about your chemistry studies."

"How am I not serious, father? I'm asking you about it right now!"

"Alliana, an eighty-three percent is far less than what your mother and I want to see on your next report card. End of story."

"The thing is, one low B is not going to tarnish my entire GPA!"

"Lower your voice, Alliana. And that is not the attitude to have about your schoolwork!" her mother piped up suddenly.

"Mother, I am... I am serious. It's just harder now that I'm trying to meet new people and get out more." Shaking his head, Mr. Bhandari took a sip of his coffee.

"Alliana, there you go making excuses again. Do you think _people_ are going to help you in the long run? Will_ people _get you into the college of your choice?" Steeling herself, Alli figured she had nothing to lose.

"That's an interesting question, father. Mother was just a person to you at one point, did _she_ get you into the college of your choice?"

"That's an entirely different scenario, Alliana."

"Not to me."

"So what does this mean?"

"You know what? It's fine, father. You don't need to pay someone to help me out. I'm pretty sure I can just ask my friend Johnny for assistance." Rising to her feet, Alli balled her hands into fists and pushed her chair back under the table. "Thanks for the breakfast, mother. Have a good day at work you two. I'm gonna go get ready for school." Sav went back to scraping his eggs across his plate. After all that, he had nothing to say.

Racing into her room, Alli picked up the pink slip and stared at it. After that little outburst, there was no way she could ask for a signature on this. Stuffing the paper into her shoulder bag, Alli sighed and walked over to her closet. Pulling out a pair of sweat pants and a fuzzy blue cardigan, she slipped out of her pajamas and laid the clothes on her bed.

It was still fairly early, but Alli put on a light pink camisole and slid into her sweatpants. She had to leave early enough so her parents would think she was catching the bus.

Pulling out her phone, Alli dialed Johnny's number and waited for him to answer. After his phone rang for almost an entire minute, it went to voicemail. "Uh, hey baby. I can't go to school today, you know, after the fight with Delia we both got suspended. I know it's a lot to ask for, and it's totally last minute, but do you wanna skip with me? It's okay if you don't want to, I'd understand... but if you do, meet me by the bus stop outside of school in the next hour or so, okay? Love you. Bye."

Alli put her phone in the side pocket of her bag and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Gazing into the mirror, Alli brushed her hair out of her eyes. Hopefully Johnny would get her message soon. If not, she wouldn't have a thing to do all day.

Exiting the bathroom, she went back into her room and grabbed her bag and her sweater. Walking back up the hallway, Alli collided with Sav. "Gosh, watch where you're going why don't you?" Alli shouted in exasperation.

"Whoa, is it that time of the month?" Sav joked. "And besides, where you off to in such a hurry? It's not even seven thirty."

"I have a meeting with Mr. Elizondo... to discuss my grades."

"Okay, brainiac. Just know that that won't help your social status in any way."

"Just shut up and leave me alone." Alli walked past the kitchen and heard her parents talking about her in hushed tones.

"What are we going to do about Alliana?" her mother whispered, putting her coffee mug into the sink.

"I think she might need to spend some time wither her grandmother," her father suggested. Shaking her head, Alli dragged the front door open and slammed it behind her. Getting suspended wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it didn't mean her whole life had to start unraveling.

Jogging up the path, Alli saw the last couple of students boarding the bus. Breaking out into a run, Alli held onto the strap of her bag tightly.

--

Once the bus pulled up in front of Degrassi, Alli looked out the window to see if she could find Johnny's car. She didn't see it, but maybe he was stuck in traffic.

Once off the bus, Alli crossed the street and pulled her hood up over her head. If anyone saw her, then there would be even more unwanted consequences. Sitting down on the bench, Alli pulled out her phone and dialed Johnny's number again. This time he picked up, thank goodness. "Where are you?" Alli shouted, even though she'd told Johnny to come within an hour.

"Good morning to you to," he grumbled. Rolling her eyes, Alli shook her head.

"Are you hungover?"

"We were both drinking last night, Alli. Are you telling me that _you're_ not?"

"Look babe, just get dressed and come to the school."

"What are you talking about, Alli?" What's the matter?"

"I... I'll tell you in person."

"Okay."

"See you soon." As the first bell rang, Alli dug into her bag for her lip gloss. Smoothing some onto her lips, Alli turned and locked eyes with Sav, who was driving up to the school with Anya in the passenger's seat.

It was beginning to drizzle, and Sav's window kept squeaking as he rolled it down. "_Alli_? Is that _you_?"

"I knew I should have worn sunglasses," Alli said under her breath.

Sav opened the door and jumped out of his car. "What the hell are you doing out here?" There was a loud crack of thunder. Anya, playing the role of good, concerned girlfriend, appeared at Sav's side.

"You're supposed to be inside, you know, at school?"

"Sav, please, let me-"

"Alli, do not beat around the bush right now. Just tell me what's going on and I'll try to understand it."

"Okay, well, here goes." Inhaling deeply, Alli braced herself for the worst. "I got into a fight and got suspended. Do you need proof?" She held up the pink slip.

Tearing it from Alli's hands, Sav frowned as he read over it. "Yeah, and I bet you the folks don't know about this, right/"

"Yeah, you're correct. And I'd be happy if it stayed that way."

"You know Alli," Anya piped up, "I think it'd be best if your parents did find out. Your behavior has been getting more and more out of hand lately."

"Anya, you're supposed to be on _my_ side!" Alli cried.

"Sav is my boyfriend, and he's right this time," Anya told her. "Sorry, Alli. You've gotta learn soon enough." Giving her a look of warning, Sav thrust the paper back into her hands.

"Come on, Anya. We're gonna be late."

"I hope you don't hate me," Anya whispered before following Sav to his car. Alli turned away as the car drove off.

About five minutes later, Johnny pulled up and Alli smiled through her tears. "Alli, there's something not right with you and you have to tell me," Johnny demanded, his green eyes looking as concerned as ever. "Why are you not at school?"

"I got suspended and didn't have the guts to tell my parents," she sobbed into Johnny's shoulder. "Nobody understands me anymore. I'm not even sure you do."

"How could you say that, Alli? Are you on your period or something?"

"No, this is way more serious than that!"

"Okay, since I have to be your chauffeur, tell me where to go."

"My place."

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to drive to my house. I want to show you my room and stuff."

"Are you really sure about this? What if your parents-"

"Are at work? We should be clear until at least four o' clock."

"Okay." Johnny sighed. "So why didn't you tell your parents?"

Alli raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat simultaneously. "About?"

"About your suspension, Alli. Maybe they would have tried to be understanding about the situation if you had explained it to them in a mature way."

"Johnny, you don't know my parents. You will never get my parents and their strictness. They trace everything back to culture, respect and family values. I mean, just because your parents don't care about you and you can do pretty much whatever you want doesn't mean I can."

"Look Alli, you're this close to pissing me off right now."

"Johnny, I-" Drying her eyes on her sweater sleeve, Alli let out a shaky breath. "I didn't mean it like that, and you know it."

"No, I don't Alli. I'm sorry, but sometimes all these complications just get on my last fucking nerve."

"Please! You're life isn't so simple either!"

"But I'm not trying to pressure you about it!"

"Johnny, I swear I wasn't trying to make you feel bad."

"Fine, Alli. Have it your way."

"I promise I'll never bring up your parents again – I know how sensitive a topic that is for you-"

"No you don't Alli!" He banged his hand against the steering wheel, causing Alli to flinch.

"But-"

"I don't want to discuss this anymore, all right?" Johnny yelled. Alli sat back in her seat and turned to look out the window. Somehow, she still needed to figure out how to sit down and talk to her parents about all that had happened in her life since she'd first met Johnny.

Unfortunately, he wasn't making it any easier for her. The support she had been expecting was instead replaced with his anger. "Turn here," Alli said when he came to the end of her street.

"Yeah I know," Johnny grumbled. Once he'd pulled up in front of her house, he said, "I don't think it'd be smart to park here."

"Yeah," Alli agreed. He drove to the corner and turned into the small ditch that stretched down the road until it reached the dead end. They both got out of the car and Johnny grabbed Alli's hand before she could cross them over her chest.

"I don't want to be mad at you. Fighting isn't necessary."

"I know it's not, but you're the one who's acting all sensitive again and I hate it!" Dropping his hand, Alli picked up her pace but Johnny wouldn't have it. He grabbed her elbow, spinning her around.

"Please, Alli, don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"I'm not. You are!" She started at the ground, the urge to cry now overwhelming. Leaning down, Johnny took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Please don't ever think that I would intentionally hurt you."

"Johnny, I... I just think we need to talk about things before we do them. I'm ready to take the next step, but-"

"So am I. I was hoping we could talk about that." They walked arm in arm until they came to Alli's house. She pulled out her key, opened the door, and they both walked inside.

Taking a deep breath, Johnny wiped his shoes on the welcome mat. "You should probably go ahead and take those off," Alli suggested, wrinkling up her nose.

"All righty then," Johnny said, stepping out of his ratty old Vans. He took in all he could from the foyer. "Wow, your place... it looks like a mansion out of a movie. Everything looks so... breakable and expensive."

"You haven't even seen anything yet; what are you talking about?"

"I mean, from here I can see a cheerio in your living room-"

"It's called a curio, Johnny. A curio. Now come on!" Dragging him out of the foyer, Alli led him into the kitchen.

"Yum, it smells like... cooking."

"You're being way too silly right now."

"You can have anything you want from the fridge. But first, let me give you the grand tour of my house!" Johnny followed Alli into the living room.

"This is our family room with adjoining dining room."

"You eat all your food on that table?" Johnny exclaimed, pointing to it. "It looks like it cost ten times our rent."

"Well, my mom's a lawyer and my dad's a doctor, so Sav and I are semi-spoiled."

"I'm not sure semi is the right word," Johnny mumbled as Alli walked into the first room on the main hallway.

"This is our entertainment room."

His thin, pink lips formed an 'o.' "You have pool and didn't even invite me over to play?" Johnny shouted. "So much for love Alli."

"Johnny, you know why I can't invite you over... yet." Turning around, she opened the door on the other side of the hallway. "This is Sav's room."

Johnny eyed the guitars hanging on the wall. "Think he'd notice if I borrowed one?" he teased, causing Alli to punch him on the shoulder.

"I hate Sav, but not that much."

Opening the door to the next room, Alli flicked on the light. "This is the bathroom that we share," she explained.

"I can tell," Johnny replied. One side looked all girly and neat while he could see pair of Sav's boxers hanging out of a laundry basket. Stepping inside, Johnny washed his hands before he touched anything. He didn't want Alli going all PMS on him again. "So, this is where you get naked, huh?"

"Yeah, most of the time." Alli smirked.

"How could you ever complain? You guys have separate showers and everything!"

"But still... he's my _brother_. Gross."

Opening another door that was in the far corner of the bathroom, Alli motioned for Johnny to come closer. "Guess what's in here?" she whispered?

"I don't know... your dog?"

"Why would my dog be in the bathroom?" Alli rolled her eyes and huffed. "We have a strict no pets policy so that is out of the question." She opened the door and clapped her hands together.

Peering inside, Johnny's eyes widened when he saw it. "A jacuzzi tub Alli?" Johnny shrieked. "And you never told me about this?"

"Shh!" Alli hissed, as if they weren't the only two people in her house. "One day we're gonna throw the biggest party ever! Right here, in this very room."

"Who's we?" Johnny furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. "You mean you and Sav right?"

"No, I mean me and you baby." Alli looked up at Johnny hopefully, but all he did was shrug his shoulders helplessly.

"I mean Alli, I haven't even met your family yet and you want me to come to your house and party? How would that even be possible?"

"I'd appreciate it if you stayed on the bright side of things," Alli said, walking out of the bathroom. Johnny sighed and followed her.

"Alli, please don't be mad at me. We came here to have fun since you couldn't go to school today. Right?" He kissed her forehead tenderly and cupped her face in his hands. "Right?"

She nodded and smiled weakly at him. "Um, yeah. You're right."

"So, where are we headed to next?"

"Well, there are like four guest bedrooms when you turn into the other hallway," she said. "But that's boring." Leaning up on her tiptoes, she grabbed his collar and began unbuttoning his flannel shirt. "The grand tour ends here sir."

Pulling him into her room, Alli smiled when he immediately pushed her down on the bed. "I've always wanted to come in here," he said, leaning down to kiss her. Alli was craving his lips, but she had to tell him something that was very urgent. She sat up abruptly, almost bumping heads with him.

"I don't know how to say this, but the other day when I was at church... we were studying a lesson on honesty. Our pastor also talked about the importance of honesty in a relationship."

"Dammit Alli, what is it now?" Johnny dragged his wife beater off over his head. "What did I do wrong this time?"

"I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I just... think we need to confess everything before we start making out on my bed." Alli stared at Johnny's naked chest and licked her lips.

"Okay, well, um, you go first." Johnny lay back on her pillows and pulled her down next to him.

"Well, I want to talk about marriage." He shot back up, supporting himself on his elbows.

"What? Why? You know we're way too young for that now."

"Yeah, I do." Alli scooted away from him and folded her hands in her lap. "My culture and religion still bases itself around family. It's very important."

"I know," Johnny assured her. "That's fine. That's... great."

"Which means that when I get married, I'll be saying my vows to an Indian Muslim man who was handpicked just for me."

"So... you can't choose who you want to marry? It doesn't matter if you're in love with this person or not? How could that possibly work out?"

"Believe me, it has. My parents and grandparents were both set up and they're both still together. It's been happening like this for generations. And it will probably continue for centuries to come."

"But I'm white and your brother's girlfriend is white, so... how come you guys are allowed to date us?"

"Well, my parents don't exactly know about _us_. Sav and Anya have tried to convince our parents that they can work as a couple. Anya even came to a family dinner once and tried converting to Muslim for my brother."

"Wow, so when are you going to meet your future husband?"

"Well, since I'm only fourteen, I still have another four years before I meet him. Sav's going to meet his soon-to-be wife next year though."

"Oh wow. This is so serious. What if we're still together in four years?"

"That's the only thing that would stop me from getting married." Alli fiddled with Johnny's hir and he ran his fingers through hers.

"Aw, that's so sweet, but you wouldn't have to do that for me."

"Well, I would. No matter what my parents say," Alli insisted.

Johnny leaned over and ran his thumb over Alli's left cheek. She pressed her lips to his and he lay back on the bed. Rolling over on top of him, Alli began kissing him more heatedly. His shirt was already off, and Alli could feel the want rising up in her body. She placed her hands on Johnny's chest and saw his cheeks flush.

He gripped her hips and then began to pull her shirt up. The fabric on the hem of her cardigan tickled her lower abdomen. She pulled away for a minute to take a breath, but Johnny had other ideas. He pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra all in one motion. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there mister." Alli laughed nervously, holding her bra over her chest. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Does it matter?" Johnny hooked his arms around her waist. "Come on, I've seen you before. It's no big deal."

"Yes, it is. Well, at least it is to me. I'm still not entirely comfortable with these things yet." Alli hooked her bra back into place. Shifting positions so she was off of Johnny's lap, she smiled when she saw his bulging black wallet sitting between them on the bed. She quickly snatched it up before Johnny could grab it.

"Ooh, what could be in here?" Unzipping a pocket, Alli expected to see folded bills, but instead she saw a plastic wrapper with the phrase '_two sided lubrication for his pleasure __**and **__hers_.' Taking it out, Alli's jaw dropped.

"Babe, what is this doing in your wallet?" She held it up gingerly between her index and middling fingers.

"Look Alli, I keep... _those_ in my wallet in case something happens. If I ever get into the mood with a girl, I want to be prepared so I don't end up stuck with a heat of the moment mistake."

"You know how I feel about sex, Johnny. Why do you keep these in your wallet? It's not like we're ever going to be together like that anytime soon. Are you sleeping with other girls?"

Johnny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alli, please just listen for a sec-"

"No, Johnny, I won't! This is not a joke. And what do you mean a heat of the moment mistake? If you had unprotected sex with a girl and she got pregnant, you would just bail and take no responsibility?"

"Alli, slow down. I'm trying to explain it to you. Just let me talk. Please." His bright green eyes flashed. Alli wasn't sure if he was upset or not. "First of all, I decided to keep that in my wallet so if we both decide we're ready, I'll be prepared. I didn't mean for it to offend you and I'm sorry it did. No, I'm not sleeping with anyone currently and no, I would always make sure to take care of my fatherly duties once I'm a father."

"But still, how can I be sure you're telling the truth?" Swallowing her fears, Alli looked Johnny dead in the eyes. "Did you... did you lie about being a virgin to make me feel better?"

"Oh my gosh, Alli! I can't believe you would even ask me that! You know I wouldn't lie about something so critical just because you were having regrets."

"Johnny... Johnny, I'm sorry. It's just... I don't know what to think right now!"

"About what, Alli? I started keeping condoms in my wallet for you, Alli. Just in case we were in the moment. So we wouldn't be having unprotected sex."

"Look, that would be considerate if you'd asked me first. Told me what you wanted to do. That night after the concert... I slept over at your house and I offered everything but sex. You took me up on that offer, but only once. What's changed and why?"

"Look Alli, I know you're still young and you don't want to push the envelope... but I... I have to be honest." He look directly into her round, chocolate brown eyes. "I do want us to share our bodies. That is, if you don't mind."

Closing his wallet, Alli lay back on her bed. Johnny snuggled in close to her, pressing his face into her chest. "I did want to talk to you about it first... thing is, I knew you'd freak out like this."

"That's not a bad thing, is it? I mean, a couple should agree on things like this before they actually do it, right?"

"Of course. So do you want to... experiment?"

"Right now? Maybe we should talk about what you wanna do first."

"Well...." Johnny began rubbing Alli's stomach. He slid his hand into her sweatpants and began rubbing at a tender spot between her legs. Alli began squirming around until she could resist the urge to moan no longer.

"Ahh...." she breathed out, grabbing Johnny's hand. Now she could feel a dampness in her underwear.

"Tell me that didn't feel good," Johnny whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Okay, fine... it felt wonderful. I just don't know if we would be able to do this as often as we'd like." Turning towards him, Alli pursed her lips. This was very uncomfortable. Talking to her almost eighteen year old boyfriend about the sexual things they weren't doing. "Maybe you're too mature for me," Alli said softly, looking away. She couldn't look at him now. That had been one of her deepest, darkest secrets until now.

"Wait Alli." He placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to turn her eyes to him. "Have you ever heard of mutual masturbation?"

"Um, not exactly. I'm not sure what it means."

"It's when a girl and a guy, you know, massage each other... below the belt."

"So this involves genitalia? How safe is it?"

"Yeah, it does involve... genitals. It's as safe as washing your hands before you eat and stuff. Nails should also be clean and short."

"You've never done this before, have you?"

"No, but we... we don't have to try it if you don't want to."

"No, I-I want to," Alli told Johnny, her tone as serious as ever. Sliding out of her sweatpants, Alli pushed Johnny back onto the bed and began kissing his neck. Leaning up, she turned her head and placed a kiss on his dry, thin lips. She moved her hand downwards until she felt his belt buckle. They pulled apart while Johnny removed his belt and let it fall to the floor.

Unbuttoning his jeans, Alli dragged them down his legs and smiled nervously up at him. "If you ever feel uncomfortable, just tell me to stop," Johnny said. Shaking her head, Alli fell into his arms and kissed him again. Johnny dipped his head and began kissing along Alli's neck, down to her chest. Tilting her head back, Alli whimpered softly, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Pretty soon, she felt one of Johnny's hands all the way in her underwear. She gasped when she felt one of his fingers slide all the way into her. It felt great, but it was so... wrong. What would her family say if they knew what she was letting this "strange Caucasian male" as they would call him, do to her? What would they say? Would they even look at her again?

He was moving it around now, and Alli's breath caught in her throat. At this point, she wasn't sure if she should stop him or keep enjoying herself. Looking down, Alli saw her hips bucking involuntarily. Then Johnny removed his hand and Alli felt her underwear become even damper. "Wow," she exhaled. Licking his fingers, Johnny smirked at her.

"Did you like it as much as it sounds like you did?"

"Yeah," Alli concluded. She didn't really know what to make of the whole experience. It couldn't all be summed up in one word.

"Now it's my turn," Johnny said, his voice slightly husky. Swallowing hard, Alli looked down at her hands. All the time they'd been together, she'd never even gotten a glimpse of his entire naked body. Not even when they'd had sex at the ravine, which seemed like forever ago now. If she'd never seen anything, how was she supposed to touch?

"Do you want to?" Rubbing her shoulders, Johnny sighed. "'Cause if you're not ready, we could just-"

"Don't try to talk me out of it. I'm willing to do whatever you want. As long as you keep your boxers on."

"Cool. Fine. It's a deal." He chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. Once Alli had a good grip, she began moving her hand up and down. Obviously she had natural talent, because Johnny was definitely having a party in his head. "Alli," he groaned, grabbing her wrist and guiding her hand up and down a little bit faster.

Tugging a little harder, Alli began rubbing her leg up against his. "Oh my God!" he shouted, sitting straight up. Alli was about to ask him if he was okay, but then she felt something on her hands. When they were in sight, she saw a white fluid running down her fingers. "Sorry I got it on you," he grumbled awkwardly, shifting on the bed. Alli wiped her hands on her bedsheets.

They both lay back and Alli entwined their fingers. "I love you," she said softly. "So if you want to do these kinds of things more often... we can."

"That's fine, Alli. I just needed that. And I love you more, but we don't have to do this that much. I could tell you were a little uneasy."

"It's just... I can't pretend I'm used to these things."

"Alli, you are amazing in every way. It's like you're had practice or something."

Smiling shyly, Alli squeezed Johnny's hand. "I think I should change."

"Um... does Sav have any spare boxers lying around?"

"You can check in the hall closet." Rising to her feet, Alli went over to her dresser and pulled out a clean pair of underwear. Johnny walked out into the hallway and Alli closed the door behind him. She dragged her shirt over her head and walked over to her dresser and picked up her brush. Once her hair was back in place, Alli put her sweatpants back on and exited her room.

"Are you hungry?" she asked Johnny, who was holding his wet boxers in his hands.

"Yeah, I'd love a sandwich if you don't mind."

"As much as you look super hot without the rest of your clothes on, you should probably get dressed. You know, in case the mailman drops by," Alli told him, turning away.

"Okay, that's fine too." Stepping into her room, Alli grabbed Johnny's clothes from off the floor and threw them at him. While he got dressed, Alli made her way into the living room.

After she found the remote, Alli snapped on the TV. "Whatcha watching?" Johnny wondered, plopping down next to her.

"Just channel surfing." He got up and walked into the kitchen. Jumping up, Alli raced in after him.

"We should probably wash our hands first," Alli suggested.

"Oh yeah," Johnny mumbled, his cheeks brightening. Squeezing some soap into his palm, Johnny turned on the faucet. "Please don't make this feel awkward. You need to feel comfortable around me at all times, Alli. No matter what we do."

"I know, but... sometimes I feel like you want more from me and I can't give it to you because I'm not ready." He dried his hands on his pants and turned to look at her.

"Don't worry about it. I would never force you to do anything you weren't entirely comfortable with." After Alli washed her hands, she opened the refrigerator and began looking for what she would need to make a sandwich.

"Hey, do your parents have any Heineken lying around?"

"No, my parents don't drink beer. The only alcoholic beverages they consume are fine wine, thank you."

"Okay princess," Johnny said with a chuckle. "I should have known better than to ask. Please forgive me." Taking out all the materials, Alli set them on the counter. Pulling out the bottom drawer of the top cabinet above the stove, Alli removed a knife and began cutting up tomatoes.

"It feels like we're married or something," she commented.

"Yeah," Johnny concurred. "I never thought I'd get to see the inside of your house without putting a ring on your finger."

"Very funny." Suddenly, Alli heard the front door open. "Shit!" she swore uncharacteristically.

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"My dad comes home for lunch sometimes," Alli said through her teeth.

"Seriously?" Johnny whispered.

"Yes, and this is one of those sometimes. Now get in there!" She pointed to a cabinet close to the ground. Kicking his leg, Alli leaned over and opened the cabinet doors.

"Alliana? Is that you? Are you not supposed to be at school at this time?"

"Hurry up!" she hissed. "I think he's coming."

"Dammit Alli, I'm not as short as you, ya know. I can barely fit in here!"

"What's going on? And is that another voice I hear?"

"No father!" Alli squeaked as Johnny folded himself into the most uncomfortable position imaginable. Nudging the cabinet closed with her knee, Alli turned around to make sure it stayed closed. Her dad appeared in the doorway, briefcase in hand.

"Alliana, what are you doing at home? You were at breakfast this morning. Why are you not at school?"

"Um, I, uh," Alli mumbled. "I was making you lunch, father!" She smiled and tried to keep the cabinet closed as Johnny shifted positions inside. His knee hit the cabinet hard, causing Alli to practically lurch forward. She pressed her back up against it harder, and her dad gave her a funny look.

"Why is that cabinet moving by itself? What is in there? You don't have an animal in the house do you?"

"No father. It's just nothing, nothing. It's nothing, I swear."

"Are we clear?" Johnny's voice was muffled, but Mr. Bhandari had to have heard him.

"And now our cabinet can talk?"

"Uh, that wasn't a voice," Alli said, "you must be hearing things."

"Move out of the way," her father commanded.

"There's nothing in there, father. Please believe me." Mr. Bhandari lightly pushed Alli out of the way, and Alli felt the past six months well up behind her eyes.

Even though her relationship with Johnny was about to be over, she couldn't let the tears fall. Not in front of her father. The cabinet doors swung open, and Mr. Bhandari dropped his briefcase to the floor and dragged Johnny out by the collar of his shirt. "Hi," Johnny said. "I've always wanted to meet you Mr. Bhandari."

Clearing his throat noisily, Johnny offered his hand. He wasn't surprised when Mr. Bhandari didn't shake it. "I mean, I never thought it'd happen this way, but-"

"Who are you and why are you in my home?" Mr. Bhandari's thunderous voice boomed in Johnny's ears. Even though Johnny had been a bully for a couple of years, even this guy was intimidating.

"Sir, I'm your daughter's-"

"Friend!" Alli interjected. "Great, close, personal friend."

"Alliana Jaya Bhandari not only are you not in school when you are supposed to be, but you brought a Caucasian boy into our home without permission!" Wiping the moisture from her cheeks, Alli stepped in front of Johnny.

"Don't try and punish him," Alli insisted, "I brought him here."

"I can't even deal with him or you or anyone right now!" Storming out of the kitchen, Mr. Bhandari dropped his briefcase to the floor once again.

"Look," Alli began, turning to face Johnny. "I'm not sure if I'll ever get to see you again, so... let's make this a decent goodbye." She sobbed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "I'm so sorry," she choked out.

"No, no, no, don't say that Alli." Johnny took her face in his hands, brushing away a tear with his thumb. "You don't know what's going to happen. And whatever takes place, we'll make the best of it from there."

"I don't know about that," Alli said, staring up into his gorgeous green eyes.

"I love you so much. I can't lose you," Johnny said in an attempt to reassure her.

"I love you too," Alli reciprocated, hoping it would be the last time she'd get to say those words to him.

Leaning down, Johnny kissed her hard on her sweet, glossy lips. It was so intense, and it felt so real. "I better go," Johnny said. Placing a kiss on the top of her right hand, he smiled at her. "Call me if you get the chance, 'kay?"

Sniffling loudly, Alli shook her head up and down. Now all she had to do was wait for her dad to come back out and skin her alive.

* * *

Please review and tell me your thoughts! If I get plenty of reviews for this chapter, I may consider writing a sequel or extending the length of this story. So if you read, **please review!** Also, excuse all typos. I will be going back and editing this story in the near future.


	13. Killing Innocence

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 13: Killing Innocence

A couple of hours ago, her mother had arrived home from work. She'd been crying ever since. "Alliana, have all of the values you've been raised with just gone down the drain?" her father roared.

"Does your upbringing, your family, your religion, your future mean nothing to you?" The words echoed in her head.

"No mother, no father," Alli sobbed. "I just, um, I got caught up with this guy-"

"You're letting infatuations get in the way of your schoolwork, Alliana?"

"No mother! I'm not letting anything get in the way of my schoolwork. Chemistry is the only subject I have a low grade in and you know it!"

"Then what is the problem, Alliana? Where did your mother and I go wrong?" her father inquired. Sitting down across from Alli at the dining room table, Mr. Bhandari combed his fingers through his thick, graying hair. Clearing her throat, Alli smiled weakly at him.

"I don't know what would ever give you guys that idea. I value everything that you guys have taught me. My life has just... changed drastically in the last few months."

"That is beside the point, Alliana! You brought a strange boy into our home without permission!"

"Okay then, where did you guys go wrong with Sav? Why can he date Anya? She's Caucasian."

"That has nothing to do with your brother, Alliana. And besides, we have already discussed this same matter with Sav and his girlfriend," Mr. Bhandari said sternly.

Her mother looked over at her, her round brown eyes shiny with tears. "Have you... have you engaged in sexual intercourse with this boy Alliana?" She knew she was supposed to say no; there was no other option. But her mouth wouldn't curve to form the simple required response.

Her mother let out a strangled cry and her father banged his fist hard against the table. Alli flinched involuntarily, expecting her father to hit her. No reply didn't always mean yes, but in this case it did.

"That's it. You are not to leave this house for anything except school. No phone, no computer – nothing! I will also be asking Sav to keep an extra eye on you while you two are attending school."

Alli rose to her feet slowly and pushed her chair back under the table. Dashing towards the hallway, she hid her face with her hands. Once she had slammed and locked the door to her room, Alli fell onto her bed and wrapped her bedsheets around her body. Nothing could ever hurt this much, she'd always told herself. Love could tear someone apart so badly and without mercy, like nothing else could. All she could do was cry herself to sleep and hope for one ray of sunshine in the morning.

--

When Alli woke up the next morning, she wiped her face with her hands and rolled out of bed. Today was going to be one of the worst days of her life, she could already tell. Shuffling over to her closet, Alli pulled out a thick black sweater her maternal grandmother had sent her for Christmas two years ago. Although she hated it, she wore it whenever she was feeling down. It made her feel gothic, mad at the world.

She threw it down on the bed and began looking for her longest black skirt. Slipping out of her pajamas, she dragged the sweater over her head. Just putting it on made her feel like a morbid princess of darkness. Once the skirt was on, Alli folded it over at the waist. When she wore it around the house, it always dragged on the floor behind her.

Sav always got to school right before the last bell, and Alli knew she wouldn't be able to face her family at breakfast. She was going to have to take the bus to school, so she figured she might as well be early.

Alli opened the only window in her room and pulled herself onto the windowsill. Once she had gotten her footing on the nearest tree branch, she closed the window tightly behind her. Once she'd crouched low enough to the branch, Alli wrapped her arms around it and then let her legs slide off. Now she was holding onto her branch with her dainty hands only. When she was ready, she jumped.

It was windy, and her skirt flew up and swished around in the chilly dawn air. Alli smoothed it down and began walking. First, she walked past the spot where Johnny always parked when he came to pick her up. Then she passed the lonely looking park bench that looked out of place on her street corner. It sat a few feet away from the big oak tree where she and Johnny had fallen into the leaves and rolled around like little kids.

She kept walking along until she saw a camouflage hat lying the sidewalk. There were so many reminders just screaming at her. Stooping down, Alli ran her fingers across the bill of the hat. It looked just like one Johnny owned. Swallowing hard, Alli shivered as a tear ran down the tip of her nose. Somehow she was going to have to find a way to move on.

--

Walking into Degrassi, Alli held her books to her chest. "Yo Princess, you gone to the dark side?" Bruce joked as he walked past her. Alli gave him a tight smile and gripped her books more tightly. People were going to wonder what had happened to her, but she'd never tell.

Twisting the combination lock on her locker, she exchanged her Geometry textbook for her Chemistry one. Slamming it closed with her knee, Alli turned around and collided with Johnny. Her books scattered onto the floor, and Johnny bent down to pick them up. "My bad. That was totally my fault."

"Yeah, it was," Alli mumbled in spite of herself.

"Are you okay, Backwoods? You look different... I mean, you're not even wearing any makeup or hoop earrings. Or earrings at all," he finished, peering at her more closely.

He stood up and offered her his hand. "I'm fine Johnathan." She snatched her books out of his hands pushed past him. "And by the way, call me Alliana."

"What? You hate being called that; only your parents use your real name!" Johnny quickly fell into step with her.

"Some things change you know."

"Well okay." Alli stopped at the water fountain. "Just tell me what's wrong." Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she blinked at him and kept walking. "Come on, Alli. We're at school. What your parents don't know won't hurt them right?"

"Yeah, but my dad catching us together was a wakeup call or a sign... or something. We're just not meant to be, Johnny. I hope you'll be okay."

"Alli, we just got back together. Things were going so great."

"But... but we just can't." The first bell sounded.

"Can we talk at lunch?" he asked. Alli nodded her head ever so slightly, and then shook it from side to side, letting her side swept bangs fall into her eyes. Then she turned around and sped off before he could say anything else.

Johnny stared after her in confusion, a black blur running up the hallway.

--

By the time the lunch bell rang, Alli was ready to skip the rest of her classes and go home. On the other hand, she did owe Johnny some kind of explanation after the hallway incident.

When she walked through the cafeteria's double doors, she took one look at the lunch line and decided it was too long. She stood on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd for Johnny's hat. Once she'd spotted it, she began walking towards the table in the far left corner of the room. "Hey," she said softly, sitting down next to him.

"Hi." He smiled, probably hoping she would smile back.

"I just wanted to tell you that my parents have put me on lockdown. You don't seem like the type to date only in school, so-"

"I'll do whatever it takes, Alli. As long as I get to be with you." Although she wanted to be happy and show her appreciation, Alli knew she couldn't. She was wearing _the_ sweater, and all she was ever going to see while it hugged her figure was gloom and doom. Mainly the gloom and doom of her relationship with Johnny. Just like Sav and Anya, she and Johnny would have to part ways soon enough no matter how hard they tried to fight it.

"That's not the point, Johnathan. My parents know about you now and this just can't work. It's going to be extremely difficult for both of us if we can only see each other in school."

"What about calling, texting, emailing?" Johnny looked her in the eyes. Alli turned away because she knew hers were still puffy and red from last night.

"My parents have my computer and my phone in their possession. That probably won't change for awhile. I can't put you through that."

"But what about the fact that I'm willing to go through all that... with you by my side?" Johnny reached over and tried to grab her hand, but Alli folded them in her lap.

"I'm sorry. It doesn't matter anymore. This can't work." Glancing towards the lunch line once again, Alli saw Sav paying for his food at the first cash register. She got up, but Johnny pulled her back down. "Sav can't see us together!" she hissed, but it was too late.

When she looked up again, Johnny had slipped his arm around her waist and Sav was heading in their direction. "So Alli, now you have no respect for our parents too?"

"Dude, I was the one who wanted to talk to her. Just chill out, all right?" Johnny jumped to her defense, and Alli mentally cursed herself for letting it get to this point.

Setting his tray down on the table, Sav rolled up his sleeves. "And you're also the reason she's in all this trouble."

People around them stopped eating and turned around to see what was going on. Danny appeared next to Sav and patted him on the back. "Just walk away man."

"No," Sav refused, shrugging Danny's hand off of his shoulder. "This guy is harassing my sister. He has an obsession and it has to stop now!" He slammed his fist into the table but Johnny didn't flinch as he rose to his feet to meet Sav's eyes.

"She's my girlfriend and I love her." Sav threw his hands into the air and took a step closer to Johnny.

"Just stay the hell away from her, you hear me? This is the last warning you're gonna get before I kick your ass." Alli looked on in horror as Sav poked Johnny in the chest. Johnny grabbed Sav's hand and twisted it around as far as it would go.

"Stop it!" Alli yelled, jumping up from the table. Sav jerked his arm out of Johnny's grasp.

"My sister doesn't need a lousy good-for-nothing like you in her life!"

"Yeah, well she seems to need me." Sav pushed Johnny and he staggered backwards. Lunging forward, Johnny pushed Sav into Danny's arms.

"My family doesn't want people like you trying to ruin our family tree. Seriously man, just find someone your own age and race."

Johnny balled his right hand into a fist and Bruce jumped between him and Sav. "One more fight and you might get expelled, remember dude?"

"I don't give a shit, Bruce. This guy needs to get fucked up really bad."

"Was that a threat DiMarco?"

"You bet, Bhandari." Sav turned around like he was going to leave and then swung his arm around to hit Johnny in the face. Grabbing his bloody nose, Johnny lurched at Sav and punched him twice in the face. Sav fell to the floor, and Danny quickly helped him to his feet.

Leading him away from the scene, Danny turned and looked at Alli with disdain. "So much for family first, huh Alli?" They walked away and Alli rushed over to Johnny.

"What the hell was that?"

"Don't act like you didn't see your brother waltz over here and provoke me," Johnny spat, dabbing at his nose with a wad of napkins.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you had to fight back," Alli insisted.

"Really? I'm supposed to just sit there and let Sav beat the shit out of me?"

"He's my brother Johnathan!"

"Yeah, and now I'm your ex-boyfriend," Johnny said as Ms. Hatzilakos burst into the cafeteria.

"Sav Bhandari and Johnathan DiMarco, follow me!" Johnny got up and walked out of the cafeteria with Sav in tow. Alli collected herself and grabbed her knapsack from off the floor.

"Hey little Bhandari!" Chante waved at her and then Alli turned around to meet her gaze. "Ooh, what's wrong?" She made a face and looked in the direction of Alli's sightline. When Alli didn't answer, Chante peered at her more closely. "Bad hair day?"

"No, just a complete bad day!" Alli shouted before dashing out of the cafeteria and into the nearest bathroom. She fell to her knees in the first stall she came across and locked the door behind her. Hugging her knees to her chest, Alli let out a shaky breath and tried not to cry.

Her whole life had been flipped upside down because of Johnny. Now Sav was going to tell their parents about the fight and she would probably be forced to go live with her ancient grandmother Yolanda. An all-girls private school was down the street from her house and of course Alli knew she'd have to finish high school there.

Alli leaned her head against the cold door of the bathroom stall. She felt herself begin to shake. She'd let herself go with her very first boyfriend. What had made her turn out this way?

--

Alli walked into The Dot with a huge smile on her face. It was only day one, but she'd still convinced her parents to let her out of the house already. Sav and Anya were sitting at a table on the other side of the room rubbing noses. Ugh. That was the only catch. Sav invading her privacy if you asked her.

"Your party was amazing guys," Alli said as she took a seat across from KC and Clare.

"Thanks," KC said, slinging his arm around the back of Clare's chair as Clare nodded and smiled.

"Um, where's Mr. DiMar-" Clare began.

"He's... not coming," Alli cut her off. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. The look on Clare's face went from shocked to curious. It was obvious Clare wanted to know what was going on, but Alli didn't want to get into it.

"I heard about the fight," KC piped up. "That really blows."

Turning her head to look at him, Clare scrunched her eyebrows together. "What are you talking about?"

"Um her... boyfriend or ex-boyfriend... I don't know and," he nodded towards Sav, whose left arm was in a sling, and coughed loudly, "kinda came to blows over her I guess." Alli looked away and sighed. She hadn't wanted her best friend to find out about the situation like this.

"They got into a bad fight and that's when our relationship ended... yet again," Alli explained.

"But," Clare glanced over at Sav, "what about?" She paused, staring at the dark circles around Sav's eyes. "Ooh, now I see it. Bad black eye."

"It was really terrible. I mean, I did feel a little sorry for both of them afterwards, but... they put me in the middle and it just can't work out that way. I love them both and apparently they don't want me having the best of both worlds."

"Oh Alli," Clare squeezed her hand comfortingly, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's over for good this time and I mean it." KC, who had been sipping his strawberry milkshake in silence for the past few minutes, set it back down on the table and frowned.

"Alli, you're a smart girl and a great friend to both me and Clare."

"Can't disagree with that," Alli replied, grinning at KC.

"I just can't believe you didn't see what kind of person Johnny really was way sooner."

"Is it wrong that I wanted to find love?" Alli wondered.

"Well, no, but...." KC averted his eyes as Clare kicked him under the table. "Why with him?"

"I don't know. I didn't really choose him... everything just sort of happened as we went along."

"You've let him hurt you in so many ways Alli," Clare said.

"But I... it's not easy because-" Looking away, Alli sucked her teeth. "I love him Clare."

"Oh," KC whispered, "that explains a lot." Clare gave Alli the most reassuring smile she could.

"You're not helping KC," she mumbled.

"So, what should I do about all this?"

"I think... you should probably refrain from having contact with him because every time you talk to him he always convinces you to take him back," Clare suggested. "That's the best advice I can give you."

"But I'm not sure I can just erase everything we've built up until now." Alli sighed and brushed her bangs out of her round brown eyes. "I already miss his bright green eyes, his long blonde curls, the way he kisses me when we haven't seen each other for two or more days...." She trailed off and looked at her friends expectantly. "A little help here guys?"

"He complicates things," KC said. "Your family, your schoolwork, your friends... everything. Is he really worth all that?"

"I don't know," Alli shrugged and flagged down a waitress. She'd seen Holly J. pass by, but no way was she letting her take her order. She'd probably slip something in her drink.

After ordering a soda and fries, Alli put her chin in her hands. "I think I'm gonna apologize and then tell him it's best if we keep our distance."

"But if you get really close, you'll remember everything that you adore about him and then you won't be able to stay away," Clare reminded her.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to stay away from him for that long, no matter how hard I try." Once her fries and Fanta had arrived, Alli pushed them away and lay her head down on the table. "All I want is junk food and B-movies," she groaned.

"Come on Alli, you're gonna have to get over Johnny sooner or later," Clare reassured her.

"It's better to start sooner than later," KC commented, as if Alli didn't know that already. "I mean, come on Alli. He was there when JT Yorke died, and he didn't even serve two weeks in jail for being an accessory to a crime."

"He wasn't an accessory to a crime, KC! You don't know anything about what happened so you have no right to comment!"

"You think I don't?" KC fired back. "How are you sure I don't know? Johnny used to live in the group home I live in. So trust me, I do know who he really is."

Clare turned to him, her mouth agape. "Calm down. Both of you. Please." Alli took a deep breath and looked over at Sav, who had been watching from across the room.

"I was watching the news last night and they were talking about that guy, JT Yorke, and they said it's been nearly three years since he died. You... you never told me that Johnny was involved in all that."

"I was ashamed okay? And I knew you wouldn't let it slide because of your religion and whatnot."

"That's not a good enough reason, Alli."

"You wouldn't get it, Clare." Sav and Anya walked over to their table hand in hand.

"Time to go, Alli. Don't you just love your new 7:30 curfew?"

"You guys can have the fries," Alli grumbled as she rose to her feet and grabbed her shoulder bag from off the floor.

"Bye," KC and Clare waved to her as she opened the door. She didn't feel like talking anymore.

Once outside, Sav and Anya began walking towards his car. "You coming?" Sav asked.

"Uh... I'll just walk home," Alli told him.

"It's getting dark outside and you're wearing all black. Get in the car."

"No. I can't." Alli took off running in the other direction before Sav could open his mouth again. When she got to the corner of the street, she pulled her wallet out of her shoulder bag and checked to make sure she had enough money for bus fair.

She took a seat on the bench under the streetlight, tears streaming down her face. The bus pulled up and she stood to her feet and climbed the stairs. After paying, she saw the bus driver give her a strange look. She sat down in the middle of the bus and looked around. A couple was asleep, their fingers entwined on the armrest between them. An Asian male that looked about her age was fiddling with his iPod.

Wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater, Alli sniffled and looked out the window. All she saw was black and the occasional streelight. The nearly thirty minute ride gave Alli time to think. Maybe she was making a mistake by going out there this late. She found herself nodding off, but then the bus jerking to a halt awakened her with a jolt.

She got off the bus and looked around. Exhaust clouded the sidewalk ahead as the bus drove off. "This is the right thing to do," she whispered to herself. "We'll both feel better afterwards."

The lake was now in sight. The glow from the streetlights reflected off of the water's surface and Alli began looking for his car. Because of its color, she almost couldn't see it in the darkness. She made sure to undress herself on the opposite side of the lake.

In her mind, she saw Johnny hiding behind the rock like it was his shield. Of course he didn't know she'd be there, but she knew exactly where to find him. She knew anybody driving by would see her, but she didn't care.

Stooping down, she quickly stepped out of her skirt and pulled her sweater over her head. Her black attire lay in a heap on the ground. Diving into the water, she smiled when the cold shocked her bones. It was what she needed right now more than anything. She heard the soft splashes of her feet behind her. Hopefully she wouldn't scare him away.

At this moment, all she could ever want, no need, was to feel his body pressed against hers. Once she was almost halfway across the lake, she shot to the surface for air. She saw someone laying on top of the water, floating. Sucking in air greedily, she hugged her arms around her waist. Dipping back under the water, she swam faster than she ever had in her life back towards the shore she had come from.

Pulling herself out of the water, she sat down on the edge of the log she had found and pulled out of the bushes. After she had let her thoughts settle, she got up. Imagining how heavy she would feel if she had kept her clothes on was very frightening. She could have sunk straight to the bottom and nobody would have known. Maybe committing suicide for love was romantic; probably one of the most romantic things in the world.

Then she began walking on the edges of the lake, being careful so she wouldn't fall in. When she was halfway around the circumference, she thought she saw a figure hovering in the near distance. When she got closer and the land was illuminated by a deep yellow light from above, Alli realized that no one was there.

If Johnny knew she had come, he most likely didn't want to scare her. Approaching the rock on tiptoes, Alli shivered. He was laying behind it on a towel. "Hi," she whispered, surprised when he didn't jump right out of his skin.

"I saw you and then I heard you swimming. You are not slick at all Backwoods."

"Why did you fight my brother today?" He stayed under the rock's shadow. A strong gust of wind practically pushed Alli on top of him. "I'm sorry," she said, removing herself from his lap.

"No you're not. You did that on purpose." Hiding her face, Alli tried not to laugh. No one of her limited importance could control fate. "Come here," he said softly, running his hand up her thigh.

She pushed his hand away and hugged her knees to her chest. "You didn't answer my question. Why did you fight my brother?" Narrowing her eyes, Alli caught sight of the purple and blue marks on Johnny's face. He bruised very easily.

"I just wanted to show you how much I truly hate you." He smirked, and the moonlight made his eyes light up. At first Alli was shocked, but she couldn't give him a reaction. Two could work towards one goal. She could show him that she had regrets too. Maybe she would even tell him that she'd never really loved him. Not that he'd believe her, but it was worth a try.

"Yeah well, I hate you more than anything."

"Why?" He leaned in closer to her, and she backed away.

"Because you're you. You complicate everything in my life and I think we both know that that's absolutely and completely true as of now."

"Believe what you choose to believe, beautiful." He got up and Alli saw that his hair was dripping wet. Obviously he'd gotten out of the water when he'd heard her shoes crunching against the leaves.

He was shirtless of course, which caused Alli to suck in a breath. Everything about his body was still so delicious. It was very hard to resist the urge to jump his bones right then and there. "What is that supposed to mean?" Turning around, he stooped down right next to her until their faces were so close she could almost feel him breathing.

"I always knew you deserved better, but you refused to believe me. It's not my fault you're just now realizing your mistake. I don't want to be around you anymore; I'm done with you Alliana. So you can stop stalking me, you crazy little bitch."

Shoving him away from her, she seethed. Who in the hell did he think he was? "Fuck off asshole!" No one would ever call her a bitch and get away with it.

"You asked for it, Alli." Rising to her feet, she squeezed her hair out. Now was probably the best time to remove herself from the situation and go home. "Can we have one last dance?"

"Dance?" Alli asked. He pressed his lips to hers ever so calmly. Alli wanted to laugh because he was so sure of himself it was ridiculous, but she was too busy kissing him back. "I didn't know you could dance with your lips," she murmured seductively.

"Then you've never danced in your life baby," he whispered, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he leaned back, the sharp edge of the rock piercing his back.

"God, I wanna fuck you so bad," he exhaled as she dipped her head down and began kissing his neck.

"Then do it," she instructed, biting his neck. The sensation was strange because when he groaned, she felt like moaning.

"Are you sure?" He laid her down on the blanket and got on top of her.

"You shouldn't be asking that," she whispered. "You're the boss, remember? Whatever you say, goes." She ran her fingers through his tangled mess of curls.

"Well then, let's do it." He shoved his hands into her panties and smiled when she tilted her head back. "Oh, isn't this ecstasy?" he mumbled into her chest. His facial hair tickled the space between her breasts.

She manuevered and reached down, dragging his boxers off. "No, I think this is," she replied, staring at him for a moment.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"It's up to you boss," she said.

"Thanks for letting me be the puppet master," he said.

"Well, haven't you always been?"

"This is dangerous you know. Sex with the ex."

"Especially when we broke up about six hours ago, right?"

"I wish we hadn't."

"What?" Alli sat up, pushing him off of her in the process. "This is so nothing hurts afterwards, right?"

"Yeah," he said.

"So then why the hell would you say something like that?"

"Because I felt like saying how I really feel about you rather than explaining how I'm pretending to feel."

"So this game was pointless then, right?"

"Well, I guess. Wasn't it supposed to be?" With a sigh, Alli got up and began walking in the other direction.

"Wait!" Johnny shouted, racing after her. "What's wrong?"

Turning to face him, Alli cleared her throat. "Why... why are you acting this way?"

"Hold on-"

"No. Why are you doing this to me? Why?"

"Every time we're together, really together, we can never work. Maybe being no strings wouldn't be so bad for us."

"So you're telling me that you think being exclusive is a bad thing for us?"

"Uh, yeah it is Alli. If you haven't noticed."

"So because we're not exclusive we should have sex? What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just... it's dangerous loving you Alli. I-I want to... but I can't."

"So when you gave me the necklace and said it... you didn't mean it, did you?"

"Well-"

"Did you?"

"Yeah I did Alli. Back then. But now-"

"What about now, Johnathan? What's different?"

"Everything Alli." She took one last long look at him. It was liking drinking a virgin piña colada.

"Go fuck yourself," she spat.

"Please don't be angry. I never intended to make you feel bad about yourself."

"Yeah whatever. I'm done. Lose my number." Before he could spew any more bullshit, she turned and ran, the tears beginning to run down her already damp cheeks.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked this chapter. I wanted to go for a darker vibe since every other chapter has been basically fluff. Of course I'm getting no inspiration from the show, which sucks. Why not just break Sav and Anya up? Johnny and Alli have much more fans than they do. Sigh. Please **review** and continue to show your support!


	14. Single

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 14: Single

Alli woke up extra early even though she knew she didn't have school. Jumping out of her bed, Alli ran out into the hallway. Knocking on Sav's door, she smiled extra wide. Of course Sav was the typical teenage boy and enjoyed sleeping in as late as possible on weekends and holidays.

"Go away!" came Sav's muffled shout.

"It's winter break doofus! No school for two weeks!" Alli ran back into her room and collapsed onto her bed. Ever since their fight at the lake, she hadn't spoken to Johnny. There were times when she'd tried to take control of their relationship like it was just hers, but he'd crossed the line. He'd basically told her he could use her for sexual play whenever he felt like it. It wasn't fair. After he had fought Sav, he was the one who had told her it was over. What had made him change his mind? Why did he think his choices mattered more than hers? Relationships were never a one way deal.

Picking up her cell phone from the top of her nightstand, Alli began scanning through her contact list. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet. But when she did have the courage, she knew exactly what she had to say to him. Enough with being on and off , going up and down, making up and breaking up – if they were going to make it work, she wanted to be In serious, mature relationship with him. Hopefully when she was ready to discuss the matter, he would be prepared and willing to keep the situation calm and relaxed. For now, she was just going to wait and hope that the stars would remain aligned for her and Johnny some time in the future.

Rolling over onto her stomach, Alli leaned down and picked her phone up off the floor. Just as she began to scroll through her contacts, her phone began buzzing in her hand. It was Clare. Squealing, Alli answered it, feeling as free as a bird. It was time to celebrate the beginning of winter break, and she was about to get started. "Oh my gosh, I was just about to call you and then my phone rang in my hand!" Alli practically shouted, putting Clare on speaker phone.

"We must have some sort of telepathy going on," Clare replied. "So...how are you doing?" she asked hesitantly. Furrowing her eyebrows together, Alli sighed when she realized Clare had gone into concerned mode because of Johnny. No matter what, her brother, her friends and anyone she might ever talk to would always be wondering about Johnny, probably because Johnny would always be someone to be concerned about.

Alli bit down on her lower lip and rolled her eyes up towards the ceiling. "Hello? Are you still there Alli?"

"Oh yeah. Um…I'm fine, great actually."

"How are things with Johnny?" Pausing to think about how she should respond to this inquiry, Alli swallowed hard, all her thoughts moving in a snail-like motion to the same spot. The night a couple of days ago at the lake when Johnny had admitted that he'd never truly loved her bolted to the top of the list.

"More like how things with Johnny aren't ." Finally, Alli had been able to get it off of her chest. She chuckled softly after the words had spilled out of her mouth. Johnny truly meant nothing to her now and there was no way she'd be retracing those steps ever again.

"Oh, that's just incredible!" Alli beamed, certain that Clare really felt happy for her.

"Yeah it is. I'm sure about my decision this time." Laying back on her bed, Alli decided it was a good time to move on to a more upbeat subject. "As of now, I'm ready to party!" she shouted.

"Awesome. I'm down with having fun…although I don't know about partying," Clare said. "Wanna come over?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

"Sure, of course."

"All righty then."

"See you in a few."

"Bye." Walking over to her closet, Alli sighed and pulled out a simple Calvin Klein long sleeved shirt. Since it was getting colder out, she knew she'd have to dress appropriately. She put the shirt on and then began searching through her closet for a pair of jeans.

Once she was dressed, Alli went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and fix her hair. After that, she figured the best way to get out of the house was to leave with Sav. Slamming her fist into the door to his room, she shouted, "Open sesame!"

"Wait, I'm doing something!" Sav shouted in response. Alli folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall. By the time Sav opened the door, Alli was considering asking her mom for a ride to the library.

"Finally! What were you doing in there?"

"Putting on just the right amount of cologne for my sweetie pie," Sav said, as if that explained everything. He straightened the collar on his polo shirt and looked down his nose at her. "Now what was it you wanted?"

"Can you drive me to…the library?" Although she hated lying to Sav, it would be best to keep from roping him into a lie.

"Impromptu plans at the library? Are you sure this isn't some sort of secret meeting?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I need to check out this book for my AP Literature class." Checking out The Grapes of Wrath was a must, because Ms. Kwan had told the class that they needed to have completed it by Monday.

"All right. If and only if Mom and Dad let you go."

"I'm sure they will." With a confident smirk on her face, Alli walked into the living room. "Mom, Dad, I'm not feeling very well." She paused for a moment, and then turned away to cough into the crook of her elbow. "But…I really need to check out this book for my AP Literature class."

"That's fine," Mr. Bhandari said, flipping a page in the newspaper without look up. "Sav can pick it up for you when he goes out."

"No, but um…." Alli fumbled, unable to come up with a quick backup excuse. This time her father was being reluctant, and she hadn't planned on it.

"I'm just going to the library, Dad. I swear on my life."

"No need to swear on anything, Alliana. You may go with your brother but he will go with you inside the library and leave you there until he is ready to return home."

Alli sniffled and nodded glumly, even though she felt like bursting into song. Sav smirked and retrieved his jacket for the hall closet. Alli opened the front door and turned away as the harsh wind hit her face.

"Bye father!" Sav nodded to their father and stepped outside, closing the door behind them. "So what's your plan this time?"

Alli shoved her hands into her pockets and shrugged. "Um, nothing. I love to read and I need this book for an assignment."

"Whatever Alli." Sav unlocked his car and they both go in. As usual, Alli _did _have a plan. After Sav dropped her off at the library and she checked out The Grapes of Wrath (which she did honestly, truly, really need), she would walk over to Clare's and possibly meet up with Johnny just to see where his head was.

Surprisingly, Sav kept quiet and left her alone. For some reason, Alli longed for him to pry. Drama was her food, it made her healthy and strong. This was one of those times where she craved it, she needed it. Before she could open her mouth again, Sav had pulled into the library's parking lot and begun scanning the rows of cars for an empty space. "You're really coming inside with me?"

Unbuckling her seat belt, Alli climbed out of the car and Sav did the same. "Yeah, I've gotta make sure Johnny isn't in there. And obey Dad's orders."

Sav gave her a tight smile and lead the way through the library's automatic doors. Once inside, Alli turned and walked into the classical fiction aisle. If she wandered around long enough, Sav would become annoyed and leave, not wanting to keep Anya waiting for too long.

Fifteen minutes later, Alli still couldn't find The Grapes of Wrath and her lips felt very chapped, probably from the cold. As she smoothed some lemon lime lip gloss on her lips and rubbed them together, Sav marched up behind her. "You're doing this on purpose. You know Anya and I have a lunch date in less than half an hour."

Alli shrugged helplessly. "I still can't find the book I need for my class and you're of no assistance." Crouching down, Sav scanned the rows of classical novels and sighed.

"The freaking book is right here and you claim you've been looking for it for the past fifteen minutes?" Grabbing the book from Sav's hands, Alli rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I was looking for an excuse to get out of the house. Using you was the only way."

"Whatever Alli." They walked back towards the front of the library so Alli could check out her book. Once she had taken care of her library card, Alli walked over and sat down at a table. "What now?" Sav ran his hands through his hair.

"Nothing. I just – I think I'll read here for awhile. You know, until you come back."

"Sure, whatever. Just promise that you will stay right here and not go anywhere for anything." Skimming the back cover of the book, Alli licked her lip gloss off her lips, something she always did when she was frustrated.

"I hope I can trust you."

"Definitely," Alli assured him, even though she was positive Sav knew of her plans to ditch the library and go to Clare's house. As soon as he walked away, Alli rushed over to the other side of the library and pushed back some of the curtains to make sure he was really leaving the parking lot.

After Sav back out of his parking space and drove off, Alli walked over to the nonfiction section and pulled out her cell phone. It was on silent because there were posters all over the library banning the use of cell phones.

There were three text messages from Clare waiting to be read. Clare was probably wondering where she was and when she was going to arrive. Before she could send Clare a quick response, though, another short message popped up on the screen. Alli closed her phone and slipped it back into her bag.

She looked down at the book in her hand. She'd come to the library two weeks ago to check out _The Grapes of Wrath _and it had been unavailable. Since then, she hadn't had time to check in see if it had been turned in. Today was the day she wanted to stop being lazy and actually get her assignment done.

Making her way to the front of the library to check out, Alli began flipping through the pages of the novel to make sure it wasn't already damaged. Once she'd retrieved her library card from her bag, Ali slid it through the machine's slot and waited for the system to calculate her "due by" date. Computers and all the most recent technology made life so much easier. Most things could get done much faster and many processes were now a lot less complicated. Heck, there wasn't even need or use for a real librarian anymore! "Have a good afternoon Alliana!" Mrs. Patterson, the librarian, called out as Alli approached the front door.

"You do the same Mrs. P!" Alli responded before exiting the library. Once outside, Alli looked around and figured it'd be best to take the bus to Clare's due to the weather.

Billowing gray clouds loomed overhead and the wind kept pulling her hair back and away from her face. The walk would be an extremely long one, although she did need some exercise….

On the other hand, taking the bus would be much quicker (though at a price) and would save her enough time to beat Sav back to the library after she hung out with her friends.

Once she had tucked the book under her arm, Alli zipped her jacket up to her neck and began walking in the general direction of the nearest bus stop.

As she checked the bus schedule, she realized the next bus wouldn't be arriving for another half hour. Taking a set on the bench, Alli opened the book and turned to the last page, already eager tofind out how the novel ended. This had been a personal tradition of hers since she was in the third grade. It put reading into a whole new perspective and made the literary experience much more interesting.

By the time the bus coughed and sputtered to the curb before her, Alli was already thirty pages into the book. Stuffing the book into her bag, Alli smiled slyly. Being bad always felt so good! She wished she could do it for a living. But she'd probably just have to settle for auditioning to get a spot on "The Bad Girls Club."

If only Johnny knew what she was doing just to see him today. Maybe then he wouldn't think she was that much of an emotional wreck. Upon boarding the bus, Alli was surprised to count only six people sitting on one side of the large vehicle. Dropping two quarters into the change slot, Alli looked around before taking a set. It was only going to be a ten minute ride to Clare's house anyway, so she started brainstorming ways to get Johnny's attention.

It didn't seem that hard to get, but it really was when she'd thought about it. Their status seemed to be ever changing, partly because of Johnny's mood swings and her melodramatic ways. Things were always going up and down, and neither of them knew what a good solution to their problem could be.

If Johnny turned out to be right, then maybe Alli would just have to get used to the idea of them being apart forever. Now they were both single and there would most likely be less drama if they just avoided each other altogether or simply tolerated each other. So lost in thought she was, Alli nearly her stop.

"Wait!" She jumped up after realizing that the bus had come to a halt on the corner of Clare's street. Stepping out into the cold afternoon air once more, Alli crossed her arms and skipped up the sidewalk and onto the driveway to ring Clare's doorbell. "Hi Mrs. Edwards!" Alli enveloped her best friend's mother into a bear hug.

"Hello Alli!" Mrs. Edwards squeezed her back just as hard. When they pulled apart, she closed the front door and hung Alli's jacket in the hall closet for her. "So, how have you been enjoying your holidays so far?"

"More than ever," Alli replied. "Being out of school rules!"

"Well, I'm glad you're having fun while you're on your break." She brought her coffee mug to her lips and took a small sip. "Clare, KC, and some of her church friends are upstairs."

"Okay. Thanks. Nice seeing you again!" Alli said politely.

"You too dear," Mrs. Edwards smiled warmly. Taking the steps two a time, Alli reached the top floor and passed the guest room, which was full of younger teens playing Twister.

"Boo!" alli shouted, jumping in front of Clare's bedroom door and pushing it open without a second though. This was a game they'd played at sleepovers and other get-togethers since they first became friends. Something was different this time though. _Way _different.

For one split second, Alli gaped at the sight of KC and Clare making out on her bed. "Oh my gosh!" Her hands flew to her mouth before she could think of a better way to extract herself from the situation. "Whoa. Sorry." She ducked her head and swung the door shut. She began wringing her hands out as if they were wet and she was trying to dry them. This was one of her nervous habits that she hated.

How could Clare have kept this from her? Why did she see nothing wrong with not telling her supposed best friend this kind of big news? Clare and KC were taking things to the next level and Alli was the last to know. Or maybe she was overreacting. After all, who could Clare tell? Surely not her parents, not Darcy....

The biggest question of all was: why were they doing such things when Clare had guests from _church_ in the very next room? About a minute later, KC came out (with his shirt back on) and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh hey Alli." He smiled, even though they both felt more than a little awkward. "Sorry you had to see that. We were just..." he trailed off, "caught up in the moment, that's all." He shrugged, trying to make the occurrence seem like less of a big deal. "I mean, we were expecting you hours ago, so...."

"Y-Yeah," Alli stuttered. KC nodded and walked down the hallway to the bathroom and shut the door. Alli decided it'd be best to barge into Clare's room and demand an explanation. Being confrontation was the only way Alli knew how to get an explanation from Clare. "What was that?" Alli shouted, pressing her back to the door and turning the latch to lock it.

"It was...nothing that concerns you," Clare said calmly, smoothing her dress down on her legs and straightening her hair out where it was sticking up at odd angles. Plopping down on Clare's neon green beanbag chair, Alli began trying to meet her gaze, but nothing she did crossed her arms and remained silent until Clare finally opened her mouth. "There's music, snacks, drinks and stuff downstairs," Clare said, scratching at the back of her neck.

"Yeah, and you're up here playing kiss me all over with KC!" Alli yelled, causing Clare to put a finger to her lips.

"You need to quiet down," Clare warned. Alli couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on, Clare. Don't be upset." She rose to her feet, walked over, and took a seat next to Clare on her bed. "You're like the sister I never had. We're supposed to be best friends and I love you. So tell me - what exactly has been going on lately?"

"You know it's not a big deal Alli," Clare began. "I mean, KC and I just wanted to experiment physically that's all."

"The thing is, I told you about how I slept with Johnny. That was something that was very close to my heart. It had a deep effect on me emotionally."

"Yeah but, Alli, you don't know what it's like to be the best friend who's always in the back."

"What do you mean?" Alli wondered, folding her hands in her lap.

"I mean, I'm_ always _behind you. In school, in relationships, cup size...." Alli let out a chuckled and squeezed Clare's shoulder comfortingly.

"Clare, you should totally know better. We're friends, and we're supposed to have fun together. None of this should be about competition. In the end, our grades are about the same, everyone should go at their own paces in relationships, and it really doesn't matter whose boobs are bigger."

Removing her glasses, Clare released a sigh of relief. She wiped at her eyes and turned to face Alli. "Well, thanks for the reassurance,but...I still know that you are definitely more experienced than me."

"And that's fine because...look where I am now. Boyfriendless and virginity free." Clare shrugged and cleared her throat.

"It's can't be _that_ bad."

"At least I know you won't make the virginity mistake," Alli said with a wink.

"Of course not!" Clare said in mock surprise.

"Okay, I think it's time we go downstairs." The two girls left Clare's room and made their way down the stairs arm in arm.

"Ooh, it's the star of the party and her BFF!" Clare's friend Shara squealed excitedly. Alli gave a small smile and a weak wave to everyone. She hated to admit it, but like a lot of other people, she could be very shy around those she wasn't yet familiar with.

"Hello all!" Alli said. Mrs. Edwards stood off to the side, digital camera in hand.

"It's picture time!" KC shouted after taking a sip of water from a red plastic cup.

"Okay Alli, you jump in and Clare get in the front," Mrs. Edwards instructed. Quickly checking her face in her compact mirror, Alli swiped on some foundation under her eyes and applied more lip gloss.

Although she knew full well that she wasn't about to do a professional photo shoot or anything, Alli felt the need to look n ice in any picture she appeared in. After posing for a couple of shots, the kids disassembled and headed for the kitchen.

They all gathered around the table and began digging into bowls of trail mix and reaching for cups of water. Suddenly, a very preachy song came blaring from the speakers. "What song is _this_?" Alli asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's by TobyMac!" A girl with strawberry blond hair and bright green eyes informed her. "He's one of my favorite Christian artists!"

"Wow. That's...cool," Alli finally said, feeling almost as uncomfortable as she'd felt after that night in the ravine with Johnny. Scooting through the crowd of kids that had already gathered on the makeshift dance floor, Alli headed towards the nearest bathroom and nearly closed the door before Clare caught up to her.

"Alli, what are you doing?" Clare demanded. "I invited you over to have fun, not so you could hide out in here." With a sigh, Alli sat down on top of the toilet lid.

"Oh Clare. You know the religious lifestyle is not for me. Not any kind of religion, even my own."

"Alli, you're the funnest and most spontaneous girl I know," Clare told her. "Just be yourself."

"Wow, Clare. You should reconsider your future career in medicine and forensics or whatever. You'd make a great motivational speaker." Clare laughed and Alli smiled as she stood up. "Suddenly, I no longer have to go to the bathroom," she announced while Clare jiggled the doorknob.

After the party was over and everyone had gone home, Alli decided to stay over so she and Clare could have some much needed girl talk. Back up in Clare's room, Alli's cell phone began to vibrate. She rushed over to it, hoping but at the same time not hoping that it might be Johnny calling. With a quick glance at the caller screen, Alli walked over and sat back down on the edge of Clare's bed. "Well, who is it? Aren't you gonna answer?" Clare elbowed her friend.

"It's Johnny," Alli whispered, opening her flip phone. Clare nodded and Alli bit down on her lower lip. She put him on speaker phone so Clare could listen in. "Hello?" she squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Backwoods...what are you up to right now?"

"Nothing much, I just-" Clare pinched her and Alli yelped.

"What's going on? You _are_ alone aren't you?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, of course," Alli lied, holding back giggles.

"So what are you doing right now?"

"Why do you care?" Alli snapped.

"I just wanted to check up on you, that's all."

"Well, if you must know, I'm reading with the television on."

"Have you checked your MyRoom page lately?"

"No." Alli took a deep breath.

"Do you think...do you think you'd want to meet up and talk?"

"Probably," Alli replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Clare let out a laugh and Alli clapped her free hand over her mouth.

"You are definitely _not_ alone." Johnny cleared his throat. "So is probably a yes or a no?"

"It's a maybe so." Alli shrugged, even though Johnny couldn't see her. She was wasting her time carrying on a pointless conversation with Johnny. It was time to get a move on. However, she could still enjoy teasing him one last time.

"Well, I have to go now."

"Okay."

"Since you want to be difficult."

"Whatever, I have better things to do anyway." Alli clicked off.

"Ah, your boyfriend troubles will never end," Clare joked. "Johnny DiMarco drives you crazy but you still can't get enough of him!"

"Ah, shut up," Alli grumbled, trying to shrug off Clare's comment as if it weren't true. But deep down inside, she knew it was.

"So...what are you gonna do?" Alli paused, thinking it over for a moment.

"I'm gonna talk it over with him. See where he wants to go before I cut all ties for good."

"You..._are_?"

"Yeah, just to make sure it's really over."

"Okay then...good luck." Clare sounded more nervous and hesitant than Alli felt, letting her know that her best friend really did care about her feelings getting hurt yet again by a guy who claimed to still be in love with her.

Clare stood up, and Alli also rose from the bed. Before leaving the room, Alli gave her best friend a huge hug. "Thanks for all the support," she said into Clare's hair.

"I hope things go well." Nodding, Alli began wringing her hands out while inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"So do I Clare."

Upon entering the sandwich shop, Alli looked around until she spotted Johnny's green camouflage hat. He was hunched over a too small table towards the back of the restaurant. "What do you want?" she demanded, taking the seat across from him.

"You," he replied with a smirk, stirring his coffee with a short red straw. "Aren't you gonna dig in? I already ordered for you," Johnny said, flicking drops of coffee onto the sandwich that sat before her.

"Oh thanks," Alli said suspiciously, picking up the sandwich and bringing it to her nose. "This smells just like...." She set the sandwich back down on the plate and lifted the top bun. "mayonnaise." With a sigh, she pushed the plate off to the side. "You know I hate mayonnaise." She put her chin in her palm and groaned.

"Oh really?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow. Alli heard her stomach growl. Since she was so hungry, she wiped the mayonnaise off and took a bite. "You know I'm single right?" Swallowing the food that was in her mouth, Alli paused and then reached for Johnny's coffee cup. She took a long sip and then licked her lips.

"So am I. But why does it matter?"

"Because I still want you, Alli. That's why." Clearing her throat, Alli began twiddling her thumbs. After what happened at the lake last week, how could she trust Johnny?

"Honestly, I don't believe you." Their eyes met, and Alli took another sip of Johnny's coffee.

"How come?"

"Okay Johnny. Why did you say you didn't love me and that you never had at the lake?"

"Look, something came up."

"What? And why didn't you just tell me about it in the first place?"

"It's Rissa...she got engaged."

"What?"

"And she wants me and Aaron to move to the city with her and the rich bitch."

"Why?"

"Because she doesn't want to deal with the fact that I'm turning eighteen soon."

"Well...why did you feel you had to say that to me? I mean, I had nothing to do with that whole situation. You _know_ I would have listened if you said you wanted to talk."

"Alli...I just kinda figured that if I told you I was moving you would flip the fuck out. Like you are right now."

"The fact that you'd rate lie and say you never cared about me instead of just opening up and telling me what was really going on proves that you really don't give a shit about me."

"It's not that, Alli. I just didn't know how to bring it up." He reached over and picked up his coffee cup. Alli finished her sandwich and licked her fingers. Since she was feeling bold, Alli put her hand on Johnny's knee.

"I support you in _everything _you do. I just need you to do the same for me." Johnny reached for her other hand, but she moved it away. "You have to promise me. Because if and when we break up again, I am not going to be with you ever again."

"Can we go for a walk and talk some more?" With a sigh, Alli nodded. For the past couple of months, she felt like Johnny had been a burden to her. When they'd gone out for the very first time, things had been easy, cool, not to mention _fun_. Ever since they'd gotten back together again and again, the whole relationship had been full of complications, like a tangled web or a difficult puzzle.

After they'd left the sandwich shop, the pair began walking along on the barren sidewalks of Kensington Street. They stopped in front of a tattoo parlor and looked through the window at a couple getting matching stars on their left shoulders.

"Would you ever do that?"

"Do what?" Johnny asked.

"Tattoo my name on your chest," Alli clarified.

"Would you tattoo _my_ name on _your_ chest?" Johnny retorted. Alli shook her head. "And why not?"

"Because I heard that when couples do that they almost always break up," Alli replied. "It's basically a curse."

"Can I tell you something private?"

"Sure." Alli shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"The lake isn't my special place anymore. Not after what happened."

Even though she wanted to smile, Alli simply pursed her lips. They walked on in silence for a while until they crossed the street near Johnny's trailer. "So, what did you do today?" Alli paused and looked over at Johnny. Ever since they'd been dating, Alli never once remembered Johnny inquiring about her day's activities. Maybe he really did care enough to put some effort into fixing things between them.

"Well, I went to the library with Save, hung out with Clare and then came to meet you."

"Cool."

"What did you do all day?"

"I thought about what to say to you. I wrote out what I was going to say." Removing his hands from his pockets, Johnny revealed his palms, which were covered in smeared black ink. Feeling her cheeks get hot, Alli started wringing her hands for the third time that day. Why was she letting Johnny give her butterflies again? How come she felt like pressing her full, glossy lips to his thin, dry ones?

"I'm still in love with you," Alli blurted. There it was, out in the open and off her chest. She wasn't even sure if it was true.

"You know you shouldn't be, right?" Coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the sidewalk, Johnny leaned down, peering directly into Alli's eyes. "Don't love me, Alli. Please don't. For your own sake, not mine."

"I realized that I didn't want to after what happened at the lake...but I couldn't stop. I don't really think love is a choice." She looked up at him. "After awhile."

"Well, what do you suggest we do about it?"

"You know what?" Alli looked away. "You figure it out."

"What-? How-? When um...." Johnny trailed off and then scratched his head.

Although she wasn't angry, she wanted to appear as if she was. She huffed and began walking away from him, making sure to walk in the other direction just to confuse him. "Call me when you've got the answer!" She yelled over her shoulder. Maybe she was really offending him. Well, he was going to have to deal with it. This was just her unique way of getting revenge. After all wasn't payback supposed to be a bitch? This was all so dramatic and ridiculous. Alli sighed and thought about how she was going to get home.

Maybe she should have just stayed in the library and read _The Grapes of Wrath_ after all.


	15. Going with the Flow

**"Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 15: Going with the Flow

"I know of a way that we can make my parents adore you," Alli told Johnny as they pulled into the Degrassi senior parking lot.

"How, without hell freezing over or pigs flying?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow.

"We're gonna need Aaron for this." Alli smirked and rested a hand on Johnny's knee.

"Oh gosh, please tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking."

"Depends...what_ are_ you thinking Mr. DiMarco?"

"Don't give me that face, Alli." She sighed and looked out the window. Only ten minutes were left before the bell rang, and she had to convince Johnny that this plan would work. She _had _to.

"Just tell me why you think that this is a good idea."

"What idea? I haven't even told you anything yet!"

"Fine. Then tell me."

"I was thinking...Aaron could pretend to be you and then my parents wouldn't see the problem."

"See? I knew you were going to say that!"

"How?"

"Alli...just answer me one question. How in the hell is going to save our relationship?"

"It _could_ if you'd trust me just this once, Johnathan please!"

"I didn't want Aaron involved with this. He can't be in the middle - he can't come between us!"

"He's not going to!" With a sigh, Alli opened the car door and climbed out. "I'll ride the bus home this afternoon, okay?" All Johnny could do was nod.

* * *

"Hey," Johnny whispered into Alli's hair.

"Leave me alone," Alli muttered, pushing him away from her.

"Come on." Johnny squeezed her hand. "What's up babe?"

"Remember earlier?" Alli chuckled. "This very morning as a matter of fact, when you got pissed because I love you with all my heart and I still want to be with you?"

"Alli, you know that's not the reason." Johnny put an arm around her.

"Then what _is_?" He led her over to the bench by the window that overlooked the zen garden.

"Talk to me."

"I know it's not a good thing that we can't exactly be up front about our relationship." Alli wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I just wanted...I wanted to do something else. To see if that could make my parents trust me again."

"Aw." Johnny kissed her hair and gave her a little side hug.

"See? It's not all about you, Johnathan."

"I never said it was, or thought it was. I was just confused after this morning. You were really upset...about nothing."

"Nothing is nothing. You being upset because I want to try something crazy is_ not_ nothing. Come on, Johnny. Don't play dumb. You know me." Alli nudged him with her shoulder.

"At least I think I do." Johnny smiled and stood up. "So, do you wanna come over after school?"

"Uh...sure."

"How's Sav?"

"Whoa, that came out of nowhere. I can't believe you just asked that question." Alli laughed.

"Well, I'm serious...and I'm really sorry about what happened. You know, the fight and all."

"Okay. Apology accepted. You sound serious enough." Alli rested her head on Johnny's shoulder. "I hate you...but I love you at the same time."

"Oh Alliana, when will you ever learn? How could you _not _love me?"

"Shut up you dummy!" Alli reached up and dragged his hat over his face. "So how are Rissa and Aaron?"

"They're good. But...remember that bad news I told you after we talked a few days ago?"

Alli shook her head. "What? What happened?" Alli studied his face. His green eyes seemed to glaze over.

"Rissa's getting married."

"Johnny, you're such a jerk! How is that a bad thing?" Alli punched him in the arm.

"Rissa got engaged to a rich snob who thinks we're trash, that's why it's a bad thing."

"What's gonna happen next? Are you going to be able to keep your family?"

"I hope so. I'd really miss Rissa and Aaron if they were out of my life forever. I care about them a lot, believe it or not." Alli smiled. The vulnerable side of Johnny who could talk about his feelings made her heart melt.

"Have you even met or talked to the guy?"

"No, and I don't want to. The main reason the whole thing pisses me off is that Mortimer wants Rissa and Aaron to move in with him and I just know they're going to."

"What about you? He didn't invite you too?"

"Yeah he did, but I didn't really even consider it. I told Rissa that I'm almost eighteen, I'm a man, I'm about to graduate, and I can make my own decisions."

"What did she say to that?"

"Nothing. But she did slide a check for a thousand dollars under my bedroom door this morning."

"Oh my gosh Johnny! That's amazing!" Alli gave her boyfriend a big hug. "What are you gonna do with it?"

"Get an apartment, have a graduation party, take you to dinner like ten times..." Johnny kissed her on the cheek. "I'm gonna have my own plaace, so that also means _we're_ gonna have _our_ own place."

"What do you mean by that?" Alli recoiled. Suddenly, her whole body felt tense. Her throat was tight and her back was stiff. Had Johnny just asked her to move in with him? That was almost like proposing! She needed a paper bag to hyperventilate into.

"We'll be able to be alone whenever we want," Johnny whispered, sliding his hand under her shirt.

"Cool." Alli pressed her lips to his, and Johnny cupped her face with his hands. "I wish this wasn't just a thirty minute lunch period." Alli sighed.

"We can cut class if you want," Johnny suggested.

"You know I can't," Alli told him as he leaned down and started trailing butterfly kisses down her neck.

"Stop, we're gonna get caught," Alli whispered, sliding away from him on the bench.

"Fine," Johnny mumbled, pulling away.

"You should go to class too." Alli looked at him sternly.

"I _should_, but that doesn't mean I _have_ to," Johnny murmured, sliding his hand back under her shirt. The bell shrilled.

Alli quickly rose to her feet before groups of kids began to spill out into the hallway. "Okay. Be good. Do your work. I love you."

"I love you a trillion times as much." Johnny kissed the top of Alli's hand before letting her go.

* * *

After meeting up in the parking lot, Johnny and Alli took a short walk around the school before heading to his car. "I never knew this school had such a huge pool!" Alli gushed after they got in the car.

"That's because you're such a mega nerd," Johnny teased.

"Hey!" Alli pinched his nose affectionately.

"Do you want something to eat first? Since we skipped lunch, I figured you might be hungry."

"Sure. I'd kill for a double bacon cheeseburger right about now."

"_A double bacon cheeseburger_?" Johnny chuckled and backed out of the parking space. "Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"

"I always crave burgers, cupcakes, and chili when it's that time of the month."

"Bhandari, you are officially a super freak."

"Yep, and I'm proud of it too." Alli nodded.

"Wait, you're on your monthly thingy? Darn, that means we can't do anything!" Johnny smirked.

"Not that we were _planning_ on doing anything." Alli rolled her eyes. She appreciated the fact that Johnny loved her body and she knew he wanted to have sex, but she just wasn't ready to go back in that direction.

"Alli, can I ask you a serious question?"

"Shoot."

"Are you on the pill?"

"Whoa, where did that come from?"

"I just wanted to check and make sure, that's all."

"No, I'm not. There's no reason for me to be on the pill."

"I was just asking, babe. No need to get defensive."

"I wasn't."

"We're not having sex anyway, so why would it matter?" Alli shrugged and stared out the window.

* * *

After having dinner at The Break Room, Johnny and Alli played a couple rounds of pool. "You let me win all those times, didn't you?" Alli asked Johnny as they exited his favorite hangout hand in hand.

"I sure did. 'Cause you're my girl." Alli smiled.

On the way to Johnny's house, he stopped by Lucas's place. Alli met Lucas's daughter Isabella. Lucas jokingly asked her to babysit for him sometime. Alli was surprised to find that Lucas was a pretty normal guy, even though he was nineteen with a daughter in preschool. He was quite mature and had given up his partying ways and alcoholism for his young child. He loved Isabella and actually had plans for the future. If he wasn't busy with work and his family, Johnny made plans to go on a road trip with him over spring break.

When they arrived at Johnny's trailer lot, they saw his family's mobile home shaking along with the hip hop music blaring through the open windows. All the lights were on, and shouts could be heard from outside.

"What's going on in there?" Alli wondered.

"Aaron the asshole is at it again," Johnny muttered, charging toward the trailer. Alli reached forward quickly and grabbed his arm.

"Don't go in there all fired up like this," she pleaded. "Just calm down and then you can go in there and talk it out." He took a breath and looked down at her.

"Thanks...I needed that."

"I'm tired of you getting into fights, Johnny. I love you too much to keep seeing you get hurt or in trouble." Johnny turned away. "Look at me." Alli walked around to face him. "Today has been a good day for us. We had fun. Please don't ruin it. Don't let me down." Instead of responding in a sincere and polite way, Johnny began laughing.

"Between your big mouth and my fists, we'd make one killer fighter put together." Shaking her head, Alli began chuckling in spite of herself. This was definitely not the time for jokes, but as always, Johnny couldn't help but to make her laugh.

"Who knows?" Alli shrugged. "Maybe our kids will be."

Johnny scoffed. "Yeah, our _kids_...not gonna happen." Alli just pursed her lips and followed him inside.

There was a group of kids huddled by the closet directly in front of the main doorway. Alli took one breath and began coughing and sputtering. Her eyes welled up with tears. Johnny patted her softly on the back. "Hold your nose, they're smoking pot." He lead the way down the hallway, which was full of crushed empty beer cans, discarded paper plates, balloon condoms, and cigarette butts.

Approaching a guy that was sitting on a beat up old couch, Johnny began surveying the rest of the room. Alli could tell that this wasn't going to end well. "Where the fuck is my brother?"

"Johnny boy, yo! What up man?"

Ignoring the boy's drunken greeting, Johnny lunged forward, grabbing the guy by his shirt collar. "Aaron. Where is he?" Johnny shouted, talking to the unknown teenage male as if he were in the second grade.

"Don't be too aggressive," Alli warned him.

"You stay out of this," Johnny spat, barely turning around to look at her. Alli pulled back, instantly regretting her choice to spend the evening with Johnny. Their impromptu dates always turned into disasters.

"He's in the kitchen playing beer pong," the guy slurred, pointing towards the swinging kitchen doors.

Spinning on his heel, Johnny started in the direction of the kitchen, swearing under his breath all the way. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." He took his hat off and threw it on the ground.

"Calm down, please!" Alli demanded.

"How the hell am I gonna clean all this up before Rissa gets home tomorrow evening?"

"I don't know, but you really need to control yourself," Alli said, trying to soften her tone.

"Yeah whatever," Johnny grumbled before continuing to push through the crowd. Alli knew Johnny was very upset, but she couldn't understand why he enjoyed provoking people so much. It wasn't benefiting him in any way, and she was certain it had to be tearing him up inside.

Alli followed him, making sure that she didn't get too close. Once the door to the kitchen swung open again, Alli saw Aaron's smiling face light up.

"Yo bro! Bro's girlfriend." He did a shot of whiskey and then burped. Alli grimaced. Although they were the same age, Aaron was totally and completely lacking in the manners and maturity departments.

"Are you insane?" Johnny shouted. "Do you know what Rissa's gonna say when sees all this shit?"

"Don't worry bro. You guys can stay if you want." Aaron waved his hand before doing another shot.

"You're aware that I can call the police, right?"

"Johnny don't," Alli interjected. "

"You wouldn't," Aaron slurred.

"Why are you such an idiot?" Johnny wondered aloud, asking the question not to Aaron, but to all of them or none of them.

"Rissa's not gonna see any of this anyway, because you're gonna help me clean it up." Aaron was about to do another shot when Johnny grabbed the glass out of his hand and poured its contents over his head.

"Fuck you," Johnny sneered. "I'm outta here. Come on Alli." Aaron began laughing very loudly and Alli took the opportunity to put her plan into action.

"Meet me in the bathroom," she whispered in his ear. He just nodded, probably more because of the whiskey than because of Alli's request.

Alli managed to find her way back to the hallway through the crowd and on to the other side of the trailer. Johnny was already outside. When Alli opened the door to the bathroom, she saw a couple passed out in the tub. She stood outside the bathroom, waiting patiently for Aaron to show up. This was the best time to talk to him, no matter how wasted he was.

"What do you want, Bollywood?"

"Here's my number. Text me." Gosh, Alli said to herself. That came out all wrong. She was supposed to have told him the plan and then told him her number. Now it just sounded like she was coming on to him.

"Oh, have you finally given in to the awesome Aaron? I bet I'm better in bed than Johnny. You wanna go start practicing now?" Aaron slid his arms around her waist and and kissed her just behind her ear.

"Get your hands off of me!" Alli yelled, pushing him away.

"Don't be embarrassed Princess A," Aaron said. "It's okay to want two brothers. Just make sure you don't get knocked up by them both. Then the kids will be cousins _and _half-siblings, which is just wrong." Alli shook her head. Aaron was totally missing the point, and so far, their little "meeting" was not going well at all. "I saw it on Maury Princess."

"Please, like you've ever even had sex."

"You'd be surprised, doll."

"Have a good night, Aaron. And be happy your brother didn't call the cops on you for underage drinking and a noise complaint."

Alli went back outside to find Johnny leaning up against his car. "What took you so long?" He folded his arms across his chest.

"I went to the bathroom," Alli replied, only half lying.

"What, do you think I was born last night?"

"Johnny, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Alli. I saw you in there with...Aaron."

"You don't seriously think I'm keeping something from you...do you, Johnny?"

"I saw you guys through the window, Alli. I don't even know what to think." He shrugged and looked up at the darkening sky.

Alli sighed. Johnny was taking things too hard, too fast. He didn't trust her, and that was going to be a problem. "I don't know whether you guys were talking, flirting, or kissing. You could have just told me."

"I honestly can't believe this right now."

"Neither can I!" Johnny shouted.

"My boyfriend and I are having a fight beacuse he doesn't trust me and thinks I'm cheating on him with his little brother?"

"Should I assume you aren't?"

"You shouldn't assume anything!"

"Really Alli, it's not that I don't trust you, it's-"

"Oh my gosh, yes it is! Why can't you just admit it?"

"Fine then. Since you're so honest and perfect and can do no wrong, what were you doing with Aaron in there?"

"I was asking him about a homework assignment," Alli said as calmly as she could. This whole situation was ticking her off like never before.

"You seriously expect me to believe that? You're in the gifted program, what classes could you possibly have with Aaron?"

"It's a freshmen project."

Suddenly, Johnny unfolded his arms and heaved a sigh that had probably been building up inside him for the last five minutes. He was controlling himself. That violent anger that could have exploded into dangerous physical actions had slowly been released through his mouth. Alli was relieved. "Look, can we just drop it? I really don't want to fight with you."

"Fine." Alli tried to look nonchalant, not wanting him to see that she was very proud of him.

"What are we gonna do the rest of the night? We can't stay here obviously."

"Ah, Johnny DiMarco. Of course you're going to assume I want to spend the night with you." Alli smirked up at him. "Why did you even ask me that question? You have the keys. Just shut up and drive."

"At least let me get you home."

"Yeah, about that..." Johnny walked over to his car and got in. After he'd rolled down the window, he shouted, "Are you gonna get in the car, or what?"

"I have no choice!" Although Alli wished she could ask Aaron for a ride home, just to piss Johnny off, she'd probably end up looking stupid for a number of reasons: 1) Aaron probably didn't even have his permit yet, 2) he was wasted, and 3) she was supposed to hate him.

Once she'd buckled her seat belt, Johnny turned to her and smirked his signature smirk.

"May I help you?" she asked, feigning irritation.

"So Ms. Alliana Jaya Bhandari...will you spend the night with me?"

"Depends on what kind of sleepover you're talking about."

"I could drop you off or we could go car camping." Alli shrugged. She didn't have to worry about school for two weeks, but she wasn't sure how she'd sneak back home this late. "Maybe I have enough cash for a hotel room. Just maybe."

Alli squealed. "Thanks so much Johnny!" She leaned over and gave him a quick hug.

"Keep in mind that I said maybe," Johnny warned.

"Come on Johnny, where else am I gonna shower and clean off my makeup.?"

"Uh...the lake," he said, pulling out his wallet.

"That's so...gross," Alli replied, wrinkling her nose. Johnny had two of her three top perks: he was considerably older than her and he had a decent car. Now all he needed was money. "Do you have your credit card on you?"

"No, Rissa borrowed it. She's supposed to be getting me a new one sometime next week."

"Any cash?" Alli was getting frustrated now.

"I've only got a couple bills in my wallet." Johnny placed eight dollars in Alli's palm.

"Are you serious?" she practically shrieked. "This is all you've got?"

"Let's just go car camping, okay Bhandari? I'll get you a hotel room and the whole nine yards for your senior formal."

"If we're even still together then." Alli sighed and shifted in her seat. It wasn't like she could see anything through the window, so the ride to the lake was going to be extremely boring.

Johnny didn't turn on the radio, probably because he knew Alli was already annoyed by the silence. "I'm gonna make a pit stop," Johnny informed her. When Johnny pulled into the parking lot of Stop & Go, Alli decided to stay in the car.

He wasn't exactly in the running for boyfriend of the year right about now. She watched him through the front window as he began picking up bags of candy. Then he motioned for the sales clerk to get him something from behind the counter. Once he came back outside, Alli looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed her staring at him through the glass.

"I got your favorite," Johnny announced as he got back in the car. He dropped a bag of Swedish fish in her lap.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry," Alli said.

"A girl like you not hungry for sweets?" Johnny reached over and placed his hand on her forehead. "Are you okay Bhandari?" Johnny chuckled before Alli pushed his hand away.

"Stop being an idiot," Alli muttered. Once they were on their way again, Alli leaned back in her seat and tried to go to sleep.

Just as her mind was letting go, Johnny jabbed her in the ribs and shouted, "We're here!" Alli punched him in the arm.

"Gosh, you asshole!" Being rudely awoken was her biggest pet peeve. Opening the door and climbing out of the car, Alli began breathing in the scent of the lake and its surroundings. All she wanted to do was curl up and get some much-needed beauty sleep, but at least she didn't have to go home for the night.

Johnny got out of the car and went back around to the trunk. He pulled out an old, tattered blanket full of holes and patches. They both sat down on it and looked up at the stars. "What did you buy anyway?" Alli asked out of the blue. She shrugged Johnny's jacket off his shoulders and began rummaging though its pockets. Then she climbed into his lap and checked the front and back pockets of his jeans.

"Hey, you're in my bubble!" Johnny griped.

"Aha, here we are!" Alli tried to hold the box of cigarettes above Johnny's head. Due to their six inch height difference, Johnny easily reached up and nearly grabbed the cigarette box from her hand before Alli jumped up and ran off. She didn't really know her way around the entire lake,e but she was hoping the streetlights would stay on long enough to guide her.

As soon as the thought passed through her mind, Alli was running in the dark. She kept running though, until she was nearly aobut of breath, only stopping after she tripped over a twig and fell onto the damp grass.

After catching her breath, Alli rose to her feet. She heard leaves crunching behind her, but Alli could only turn around and face more darkness. "Aaahhh!" she shouted as Johnny came up behind her and lifted her into the air. Alli made sure to keep a firm grip on the box of cigarettes. She wiggled out his grasp and ran until she didn't feel his hand trying to grab her bra strap.

Once he'd caught up to her, Johnny scooped Alli up in his arms and Alli leaned over his shoulder and threw the cigarette box into the lake. A small plop was heard, and Johnny set Alli back down. "Ah, come on Backwoods, you know how much I need those."

Although she couldn't see him, Alli imagined that Johnny rolled his eyes at that moment.

"You don't _need_ anything that's going to turn your teeth yellow, blacken your lungs or make you smell like an ashtray."

"Whatever."

"You promised me you'd stop, Johnathan." Johnny pictured Alli crossing her arms and giving him "the look."

"Yeah? Well that was months ago, and promises are meant to be broken." Alli sighed. It was dark and starting to get windy out, and she felt so..._alone_. Johnny was being very difficult and Alli most certainly didn't need any more frustrations right now.

"You wanna race me back?" Alli asked, even though she had no way of knowing where she was going. She turned and took off into the big black bowl of mystery. As she continued running, the wind whipping through her hair, Alli had a bright idea. Her cell phone could more than light the way. She pulled it out and flipped it open before she glanced over her shoulder.

Her heart beat faster in her chest. Fully aware that Johnny was gaining on her, Alli began to pick up the pace. Leaves rustled beneath her shoes, and she heard the wind start to flirt with the lake. It was quite strange, but Alli wished she and Johnny could have a relationship more similar to that of the wind and the lake. So calm, peaceful, soothing.

Coming to a stop, Alli put her hands on her knees. She hadn't realized how far they'd run. While she was catching her breath, Johnny caught up to her. He crashed into her back, sending them both toppling over onto the damp grass. "You are no competition at all Backwoods," Johnny whispered, stroking her cheek.

"Well, you're not a bad runner. You should try out for track sometime."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't exactly have the best laid plans," Johnny said. Alli rolled her eyes.

"So can I start by making it up to you?" He leaned down and began kissing her neck. He always did that when he wanted out of the doghouse. He knew that was her spot, the place where all her weaknesses were bundled up into one giant mass of jelly.

Then he trailed more butterfly kisses up her neck towards her chin before finally kissing her lips. Alli kissed him back eagerly, no longer worried or self conscious about anything that could happen. When they came up for air, Alli felt Johnny's hands around her waist. She nodded slowly, giving him the okay to unbutton her jeans.

Once they started to make out again, Alli realized how warm she felt. Johnny pulled out his wallet and Alli knew he was going for the condoms she'd found a couple of weeks ago. "Do you wanna take this to the backseat?" Johnny asked, and Alli nodded, forgetting that it was dark for a moment.

"Yeah," Alli whispered as seductively as she could. Johnny scooped her up again and carried her all the way back to his car. As soon as they were in the backseat, Alli undressed and lay down. Since they were already here, she just wanted to hurry up and get it over with.

Johnny paused, seeming to remember something. "You are most definitely not on your period," he said huskily.

"I lied," Alli admitted, dragging him down towards her. He didn't ask any questions, he just flowed right into her movements.

"Whoa," Johnny said, pulling away. "Are you...sure you wanna go through with this?"

"Yep," Alli confirmed. "Just kiss me," she pleaded, not even thinking about what had happened the first time they'd gone this far. It was apparently a great way to relieve stress and burn calories. Plus, maybe it would be more fun this time.

Johnny unbuttoned his shirt and Alli helped him drag off his pants. They started kissing again, and Johnny reached up and groped her breasts. Alli sighed. She wanted Johnny so much right now, although she'd never thought their second time would be at the lake in the backseat of his car.

Once he was ready, Johnny took his boxers off and put the condom on. Alli noticed he kept his shirt on, just like the first time.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, Alli felt Johnny's arm around her. They were wrapped up in his old, raggedy blanket. Alli was mortified. Sure, last night had been exhilarating, but when you're Muslim, sex isn't supposed to be fun. Intercourse is for married people who wish to have children.

She looked under the sheet and saw that she was still naked. Although she hadn't been drunk last night, Alli couldn't remember much. She tried to be as still as possible, but Johnny awoke as soon as she sat up.

"You were great last night," he said with a smirk. Alli scoffed. So much for a good morning. Last night was the_ last_ thing she wanted to hear about. "It was all just really sexy. You turned me on in every way." He paused, pathetically assuming that cracking a joke would change her mood in any way. "Have you been practicing with some other guy?" He kissed her shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about it," Alli told him after she'd dragged her shirt over her head.

"Come on, Backwoods. I know girls think sex is supposed to be about candles, wine, roses, music, lingerie and all that other shit...but it's not. Intimacy should be about two people who love each other. It's as simple as that."

"Whatever. Can I get dressed please?"

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Just drive me home after I'm done, okay?"

"Fine." Johnny groaned as he opened the door and climbed out of his car. She had given herself to him again, and this was how he was treating her? Johnny's behavior was ridiculous. Now she just wanted to go home, curl up in bed, and forget the whole thing had ever happened.

Once she was dressed, Alli knocked on the window. She didn't know why she'd let it happen. From the moment Johnny had unbuttoned her jeans, Alli had known exactly where they were headed. It really made her feel weak because she'd made a commitment to herself. Not having sex again until she was totally and completely ready was supposed to have been important.

After Johnny got dressed, they left the lake. The ride was silent for the first ten minutes until Johnny decided to break the silence. "Look Alli, we don't have to talk about it...but I don't want things to be weird between us." Alli thought about something Johnny had said earlier.

"Are we in love?" she inquired.

"W-What?" Johnny stuttered. "Where did that come from?"

"After it was over, you just fell right asleep. We didn't cuddle or anything." She paused and cleared her throat. "Putting your arm around me does not count."

"Don't cry Alli."

"I think we need to work on ourselves for a while," Alli explained.

"Gosh, I am so fucking _tired _of this!" Johnny hit the steering wheel and Alli flinched.

"Stay calm. You're driving."

"It's the sex, Alli. Sex _scares_ you. You run away from it."

"Whatever. Things are different for girls."

"If you're going to be with me, you'll have to learn to accept intimacy."

"You'll never be the boss of me. The last thing I will do is stay in an abusive and controlling relationship." Johnny turned onto Alli's street.

Alli looked up the road and saw Sav's car in the driveway. Anya was probably over, but she and Sav had made plans to go skiing. Alli wondered if she could tag along at the last minute.

Once Johnny pulled up in front of her house, Alli got out of the car. "Hit me up when you know what you want." She made sure to slam the door extra hard.


	16. Quiet Shifts, Part 1

**"****Finding Harmony"**

Chapter 16: Quiet Shifts, Part 1

"So are you excited to turn eighteen?" Alli asked. She and Johnny were walking hand in hand through the park closest to her house.

Johnny sighed. "Which guy do you know gets excited about his birthday?" Alli knew Sav loved presents and the cake, but she didn't mention it. She was glad that things with Johnny were going smoothly for a change. Their last argument had taken place almost an entire week ago. Now everything was back to normal. Sneaking in and out of the house had gotten easier too, since her parents were always at work or going on winter business trips.

Alli had her skull cap pulled down all the way over her ears. Her favorite Gucci scarf was bundled tightly around her neck and her matching coat had soft, warm fur on the inside.

As a makeup gift, Johnny had gotten her a pair of baby blue Uggs. Since she hadn't thought to get him a fit, Alli had offered makeup sex instead. Johnny declined.

"Gosh, these things are so annoying," Johnny grumbled. Alli knew he didn't like the gloves that couples could hold hands in, but they were so cute! Plus, she could never pass up a Macy's sale.

Although Alli had really wanted Johnny to spend the night at her house over winter break, Sav was always home and he usually invited Anya over. One great thing had happened though: it had finally started snowing!

She'd really wanted to take a walk, make snow angels, and then get hot chocolate at Starbucks, but it was really cold out. Alli shivered. She could feel how damp Johnny's hands were, so they took off the gloves.

"I've got some news," Johnny announced.

"Oh yeah?" Alli cocked an eyebrow.

"Great news I might add." He smirked. "I've been saving up to get us a hotel room for my birthday."

"What? Johnny's that's amazing!" Alli jumped into Johnny's arms. She'd never really understand why people bought themselves gifts, but whatever floated Johnny's boat could work for her, too.

"I wanted to wait until I knew I could afford it before I told you. I knew you'd get all chipper." Johnny's cheeks turned a darker shade of pink.

"Are you blushing or is that from the cold?" Alli teased.

"Uh…." Johnny looked away, and Alli beamed.

"So what are we gonna do all alone in a big swanky hotel room all night?"

"What do you think we're gonna do?" Because Alli knew Johnny was expecting a certain response, she made sure to tell him her plans for their enchanted evening.

"We'll probably order room service, stay up all night playing video games, and steal the starfish shaped soap."

"We'll see what happens," Johnny said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"How's your party coming along?" Alli wondered.

"Rissa gave Aaron five grand to cover the whole thing." Johnny shrugged.

"_Five thousand dollars_?" Alli's jaw dropped as Johnny shrugged again. "Quit acting like it's not such a big deal!" Alli shoved him.

"Hey!" Johnny winced in mock pain. "I just hope Aaron uses it wisely."

"Yeah right," Alli laughed. They walked past a small family working on a snow man. "Let's make snow angels!"

"What?" Johnny's head jerked towards her.

"Snow angels," Alli repeated herself. "Come on!" She dragged Johnny towards a vacant stretch of snow. So much had fallen overnight that the two practically had to trudge through cold clumps of ice just so they could find a good spot to lie down and make their snow angels.

Johnny dropped to his knees, pulling Alli down with him. "Thanks for bringing me out here," he said so softly Alli wasn't even sure she'd heard a thing. "It's really beautiful."

"You're welcome," Alli replied, turning and laying flat on her back. This was one of those moments that she'd keep in her memory until the day she died.

"Don't you think it would be awesome to have sex out here?"

"_What_?" Alli yelled a little too loudly. "No way!" She giggled in spite of herself.

Once she caught a glimpse of Johnny smirking seductively, her cheeks began to heat up. "No, I'm serious." He reached over and pulled her close to him. 'You always hear folks talk about doing it in public…what about during natural disasters or bad weather?"

"You are so random," Alli said.

"Would you do it?" While Johnny ran his fingers through her hair, Alli stared into his eyes. It was their own version of a staring contest, but much more heated.

"Do what?" she queried, unwilling to tear her eyes from his.

"Have sex with me during a hurricane."

"That's a lot to ask for, Mr. DiMarco." Johnny almost blinked, but then raked his beautiful, slender fingers through her hair so hard she nearly screamed. "Nice try," she whispered. "And…yes, I would. Have sex with you during a hurricane. Especially if I knew I was about to die."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'd want to spend my very last moments on this earth with you you _you_." He pulled his hand away for a moment, but continued to study her.

"Will you help me find an apartment?" he asked. Alli smiled, which in turn caused her to blink.

"You bastard!"

"What did I do?"

"You only said that so I'd blink."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Johnny said, shifting so he was lying flat next to Alli. "I thought we came out here to make snow angels," Johnny reminded her. He spread his arms and tried to move them up and down, but Alli was in his way. "Excuse me Backwoods. You're blocking my path."

But Alli was still stuck on his question. Johnny wanted her to have a hand in his choice of living arrangements? That was like asking her to move in, a promise ring, heck, even a proposal! This was big news. "Are you serious?"

"About what?" Johnny furrowed his brow and asked. His eyes were completely focused on her and Alli could tell that he was genuinely concerned.

"About me helping you find an apartment," Alli said softly.

"Yeah," Johnny said, practically dumbfounded. "Why would I joke about that? I love you, so why wouldn't I want you to help?" Johnny seemed to think the subject wasn't important, but Alli felt her heartbeat quicken. Johnny really did love her, and it was sweet that he wanted her help. She couldn't wait until they started driving around town looking for a place to live. They were a real couple.

Johnny lay back down and spread his arms again. "We should hold hands and do it," Alli suggested, moving away so they'd both have room. Once she was lying down again, Alli reached out and grabbed Johnny's hand. They began moving their arms up and down through the thick snow.

After they were done, they rose to their feet gingerly so as not to spoil their creation. They looked at the two angels, joined hand in hand. "Aw, isn't that cute?" Alli gushed as she dug into her bag in search of her cell phone. She _had_ to take a picture.

Once she'd snapped the photo, she saved it and showed it to Johnny. "Can we take more?" Johnny sighed and rolled his forest green eyes. They looked even brighter against the sycamore, oak and maple leaves that looked as though they were resting on his shoulders. Alli knew he hated taking pictures almost as much as he loathed being in them, but she didn't care. She needed to be able to savor these moments with her boyfriend when she was old and gray. "Smile!" Alli yelled before she pushed him into the snow. As he fell to the ground, Johnny couldn't help but to start laughing. Not letting the opportunity go to waste, Alli began snapping away, catching Johnny at his most carefree. She realized she'd taken almost twenty pictures when Johnny pulled her onto the ground next to him. "I got kinda carried away," Alli admitted before she bit down on her lower lip.

"Please don't post those on your MyRoom page," Johnny begged. "Bruce and Luke will never let me live this down."

"Who cares what any of your friends think?" Alli wondered. "I love my boyfriend, and that's all that matters."

"In your world, maybe. In my world…yeah, not so much."

"Okay, I promise I won't upload them. They're for our eyes only." Alli shivered again. "It just got colder," she whispered. Johnny put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Alli noticed that the tips of his ears were bright red. "We can warm up in a more secluded area if you'd like," Alli offered.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking what I'm thinking," Johnny muttered, his warm breath sending a chill down Alli's spine.

"Not this time." Johnny rose to his feet and dusted off his pants. After he was done, he leaned down and pulled Alli up. "But first…can we take a few more pictures?"

"If you insist," Johnny groaned. Alli took her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Come on babe. Get in really close," Alli told him, wrapping her arm tightly around his middle. After they took some pictures of each other making faces and playing in the snow, Alli proposed they go to the coffeehouse. "We should get all warmed up. I feel like I got frostbite!"

"We can't let things get _too_ hot," Johnny teased.

Alli laughed and then noticed something up ahead. "Oh my gosh it's Sav and Anya. Hide me!" She shrieked, ducking behind Johnny.

"What?" Johnny said, turning around. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Hey Johnny," Sav said. "Who are you talking to?" Anya snickered.

"No one. Uh…not that it's any of your business."

"Okay then. See you around loser." The couple walked on arm in arm. Sav turned around and sneered. "And keep away from my sister…like I'm sure you've been doing anyway." Once the coast was clear, Johnny tapped Alli's rear end.

"Come on, let's run!" The two sprinted away from the park. Alli glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with Anya before she pulled her hood over her head. Johnny grabbed her hand and ran faster. As they approached the crosswalk, Alli dropped his hand and leaned over to catch her breath.

"You all right?" Johnny asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Anya," Alli replied.

"Huh?"

"I…think she…saw me."

"Ah, don't be worried about them babe. You can really run though. I'm surprised you could keep up with me."

"I told you to try out for track," Alli reminded him with a smirk.

They crossed the street hand in hand and entered the coffeehouse. Once they'd ordered jumbo hot cocoas and taken seats near the front door, they began sipping their hot beverages and admiring the view through the plate glass window.

Snow fell lightly atop buildings, cars, hats and the eroded sidewalks. "So what are your plans for the rest of winter break?" Johnny inquired, rubbing his hands together.

"Aw, you're still all pink baby. Do you need me to warm you up?" Johnny's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. "I can't help it that I can't turn colors. Don't be embarrassed," Alli comforted him. She took a sip of her hot cocoa and sniffled. "This week, I want to be with my boyfriend because he's turning eighteen and next week, I've got something special planned for my friends."

Johnny raised his eyebrows. "Am I considered a friend?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see if you get an invite."

Alli took a long sip of her hot cocoa. "What should we do after this?"

"Can we go back to your place, maybe huddle by the fire?"

"Rissa's on vacation, so she and Aaron might be home."

"Okay, that's fine. I haven't seen Rissa in a while. I kinda miss her." Alli made a pouty face.

"I'm sure she'd love to see you," Johnny said, finishing off his hot cocoa.

"Well then why are we still sitting here?" Alli wondered, gulping down the rest of her drink. They stood and discarded their empty cups. As they left, Alli pulled her gloves back on.

"We're gonna have to take the bus. My car broke down and I had to take it to the shop."

"Cool. Great." Alli shrugged.

"Really? I can't imagine you on a bus Backwoods."

"Oh please Johnny. How do you think I get to school every morning?" It started to snow again, and Johnny pulled his jacket tighter around his body.

"I think you need a scarf and some gloves mister," Alli mocked.

"Real men don't wear scarves," Johnny muttered.

"Yeah? So I guess that makes you a real man, eh?"

"Sure does. Everything about me screams pure masculinity. That's why you love me."

"Maybe," Alli said, leaning over to give Johnny a quick kiss on the cheek.

Once they reached the bus stop, they realized they had just missed the last bus and the next one wouldn't be coming for another half hour. "It's too fucking cold. I'm gonna call Bruce." Johnny dug through his pockets trying to find his cell phone.

Alli took a seat on the bench while Johnny made the phone call. After Bruce agreed to meet them in about ten minutes, Johnny sat down next to her and enveloped her in his strong arms. "Today was a great day. Thanks for sharing it with me." Alli beamed at him, glad that Johnny was finally making progress in the caring department. He had now become accustomed to asking about her day and saying sweet things every now and then just to let her know that he would always be there for her.

"You're welcome." Alli squeezed his knee. "I'll always be here Johnny. I love you so much. I can't imagine having to stay away from you." He took her chin in his hands and gave her a kiss. When they pulled apart, Alli began shivering uncontrollably. "So c-c-cold. It's literally _freezing_ out here."

"Yeah. Bruce needs to hurry his ass up." Johnny reached into his jacket and retrieved his lighter. Although Alli hated it because it was Johnny's gateway to puffing heaving, she couldn't help but to like it at the same because it was the same color as his eyes.

"Hey," Alli warned, trying to wrestle it out of his hands. "Did you go and buy more cigarettes? I thew the other pack in the lake for a reason."

"Just wait a second," Johnny pleaded. "Let me explain myself."

"Go ahead." Alli turned away.

"Look at me," Johnny whispered, taking her hands in his. Alli wanted to cross her arms over her chest and purse her lips in exasperation, like any bitchy girlfriend would do. But she wasn't a bitchy girlfriend. If Johnny was making an effort, she wanted to hear him out. "I didn't buy any more cigarettes and...I've really been thinking lately. A lot."

"About what?"

"Really quitting. For you." Alli watched as Johnny rose to his feet and, with shaking hands, tossed his lighter into a nearby trash can.

"Oh my gosh!" Alli squealed, jumping up to give Johnny a big hug. She paused as they pulled out of the hug. "Are you sure? You're really quitting cold turkey?"

"Because you want me to so badly, I will. I don't want to let you down Alli. I would do anything for you."

"Thank you so much Johnny! I love you."

"I love you too," Johnny reciprocated before brushing Alli's hair away from her face and pressing his lips to hers.

Suddenly, a car honked from behind, startling them both. "Yo lovebirds, you still want a ride or what?" Johnny rolled his eyes, but Alli giggled. She was used to Bruce's witty one liners now. If only Johnny would lighten up a bit more, maybe then they could have more fun.

"Hey Moose, what's crack-a-lackin'?"

"Princess, what up! I'm coll. Glad to see you are, too." Johnny rode shotgun and Alli sprawled out in the backseat. "You heard the new Killswitch song yet?" Johnny shook his head.

While Johnny and Bruce continued their guy talk, Alli shifted in her seat as the car jerked to a stop at a red light. "Ouch!" Alli screeched as she rolled onto the floor of the car.

"That's what you get!" Bruce cackled. "It's called a seat belt, Princess."

"Whatever Moose," Alli grumbled. She glanced up at the pocket on the back of Bruce's seat. She pulled out the DVD and saw the XXX logo in the top left corner. Alli scoffed before shoving the DVD back where it belonged. Bruce was trashy, but she didn't think she'd ever find porn in his car.

Once she'd readjusted herself back up on the seat, Johnny looked over his shoulder. "You okay back there?"

"Sure," Alli said, her statement coming out more like a question. As she watched Johnny's face fall, Alli knew he could read her expression. She almost mouthed "I have something to tell you" but Johnny just nodded.

Ten minutes later, Alli felt a buzz in her pocket. She'd just received a text from Clare, but she was too antsy to respond to it. Finding porn in Bruce's car had really gotten her thinking. Was Bruce really that kind of guy? Could he be addicted? Did Johnny watch porn with him? Was he keeping more secrets from her?

"Looks like we're here!" Bruce yelled, pulling up in front of Johnny's trailer. "Have fun you guys." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up, I think Rissa and Aaron are home."

"All right bro. See ya later Princess!" Bruce waved and sped away, sending pieces of ice flying into the air.

"Johnny, I have something important to tell you...it's about Bruce."

"What about him?"

"Um," Alli began, feeling the heat already creeping up her neck, "I, uh, I found some...p-porn in his car." She spit it out like Listerine, quick but harsh.

"Why are you going through his stuff?"

"I wasn't going through his stuff. I fell off the seat, saw something out of the corner of my eye and got curious." Alli knew she was getting defensive, but this wasn't a laughing matter. "Johnny this is _serious_. Bruce owns _porn_."

"Okay, so seeing something and getting curious doesn't qualify as snooping? And Bruce has porn. So? There are worse things going on in the world Alli."

"This is not about the world. It's about your friend."

"It's not like Bruce isn't eighteen or anything. It's legal." Johnny paused and took a breath. "Look Alli. Not everyone is Muslim like you. Not everyone is against expressing their sexualities. Just deal with it."

"Just deal with it. That's all you have to say?" Alli knew she was practically screaming and she was surprised no one had come outside to see what all the commotion was about. Just as Johnny was about to grab Alli's wrist, the door to his trailer swung open and Rissa appeared.

"Johnathan, what in heaven's name is going on out here?" Johnny turned around and Rissa discovered her nephew was not alone. "Are you guys okay? I heard shouting!" Rissa ran over and gave Alli a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Oh Alliana, how I've missed you so! How have you been? Heck, _where_ have you been? Is Johnathan out here verbally abusing you?"

Alli smiled. Rissa was very eccentric and sometimes she talked a mile a minute without seeming to realize it, but Alli knew she was a great aunt because Johnny and Aaron really loved her.

Johnny sighed and looked down at the melting snow. The rocks and patches of grass that he called a driveway were barely visible. Rissa could be nosy at times, and now was one of those times. "Hey Rissa. I'm great. I've been around, but not enough I guess. Johnny isn't doing anything wrong. It was just a slight misunderstanding." Alli chewed on her bottom lip. Then she nodded, hoping that would solidify her response.

"That's good. I don't need my nephew getting into any more trouble."

"So...what have you been up to?" Alli ventured. "I heard you got engaged." When he caught her eye, Johnny gave Alli a weak smile. She was great at changing the subject. Alli didn't respond to his attempt and Johnny scratched at a bump behind his right ear. It was was really cold and they were still standing outside.

"Oh yes." Rissa held out her hand so Alli could see her engagement ring in the light. "Isn't it just fabulous? I'm sure Johnathan has told you all about Mortimer by now."

"Of course, but I'd love to hear more."

"Oh dear, I have my future daughter-in-law out here in the cold when the fire's crackling inside." Rissa chuckled. "I'm so sorry doll. Come on inside. I was just about to make some brownies." Rissa linked arms with Alli and Johnny followed them up the steps.

The warmth of the trailer was quite welcoming, but when the trio entered the kitchen, Johnny was shocked to see Aaron there, snacking on a plate of baby back ribs. "What up bro? Bro's girlfriend." Aaron winked at Alli and licked his fingers.

"Aw shucks." Rissa frowned and the corners of her blue eyes drooped.

"What's wrong?" Alli wondered.

"I didn't cook." Johnny sat down and took his hat off. Alli surprised him by raking her fingers through his curls. "Why don't we just go out to eat then?"

"Wow, dinner out? Rissa only does that for the keepers." Aaron bit into another rib.

"Wait..._now_?" Johnny jerked forward, causing Alli's fingers to tangle a knot in his hair. "Ow!" He grabbed his head.

"Sorry," Alli squeaked.

"Yes now. Go get ready. Shoo!" Rissa made a motion with her hands and Johnny got up from the table. Rissa left the room, leaving Alli and Aaron alone.

Just as Alli was about to make her escape, Aaron got up and grabbed her arm with his hairy, sticky fingers. Clearly he hadn't been that drunk the night of his party. Their little meeting was fresh in his mind. "What do you want?" Alli snapped.

"What do _you_ want?" Aaron retorted, before licking his thin pink lips. "Because if it's me, Johnny doesn't have to know about it..." Aaron pulled her closer, breathing directly into her ear. Alli's breath hitched in her throat, and she swallowed air as if it were foreign to her. As her chest rose and fell, Alli wondered why she was having to gulp down air as if it were Swedish Fish.

"Let me go!" Alli shouted, yanking her arm away and spinning around.

"You're the one who came to me, remember?"

"Is everything okay in here?" Johnny popped back into the kitchen. When Alli didn't answer, Aaron dug back into his plate of ribs.

"We're fine bro." Johnny turned and walked back down the hallway, shaking his head.

Aaron smacked his chops. "I did want to talk to you though," Alli finally admitted.

"Yeah?" Aaron wiped his hands on his jeans and leaned back in his chair. Conspiring behind Johnny's back like this was giving Alli a real headache. Aaron wasn't making it any easier either.

"Okay, I have a plan. My parents don't know about me and Johnny and I want to clear things up."

"And this would involve me how again?"

"This might sound weird, but I...I-I-"

"Just spit it out Bollywood."

"I need you to pretend to be your brother."

"Holy shit. Delia was right." Aaron chuckled. "You are one crazy bitch."

"Just listen. You act like you're my boyfriend for one night, and I'll leave you alone forever." Aaron put a finger to his chin, pretending to ponder over the offer. "I'll never ask you for anything ever again." Alli bit her lip. She was so nervous, she thought she might pass out.

"What's in it for me?"

"Don't you like surprises?" Alli cocked an eyebrow.

"I sure do, but I don't think John would like this surprise." Alli sighed and pursed her lips. She knew Aaron was making this hard on purpose.

"Are you gonna help me or not?"

"Fine."

"Okay. My house. Wednesday after school at six. Don't be late."

"I make no promises Bollywood." Aaron had a twinkle in one of his bluish green eyes and Alli knew he had only agreed to make himself useful because he had a hidden agenda.

"Well then...I'll see you there."

"Alliana, would you like to borrow one of my dresses so you don't have to go back home?" Rissa rushed into the kitchen with a pair of aquamarine earrings in her hand. "Mortimer got them for me. They're my birthstone." Alli smiled warmly.

"They bring out your eyes, too."

"Aw, you're a doll." Rissa grabbed her wrist and led her down the hallway and into her room. She pulled open her closet door and revealed a host of super expensive designer gowns. Normally the thought of borrowing clothes from her mother made Alli wrinkle her nose, but since Rissa was making her feel like family, she felt more at ease. Plus, they were just about the same size and her dresses were beautiful. "Mortimer's the best," she said, removing a dress from its hanger. "Go try this one on, I think it would look absolutely perfect on you."

Alli took the dress and went to see if the bathroom was vacant. She tried the knob, but the door was locked. She pounded on the door and Johnny opened it. "Yes ma'am?"

"I wanted to try this on, do you mind?" He pushed open the door so she could enter, but he didn't exit. The burnt orange silk almost slipped through Alli's fingers. The rhinestones at the hem made the dress even cuter. She couldn't wait to see how it looked in the mirror. "Johnny come on," Alli said.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before Alli," he replied after he'd squirted a blob of toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

"Fine," Alli muttered, slamming the door shut. "No peeking."

"It's not my fault we only have one bathroom." Alli stripped down to her undergarments and dragged the dress over her head.

"What do you think?" She did a spin and then put her hands on her hips.

"You look hot," Johnny said through a mouthful of toothpaste. He leaned down and spit into the sink before rinsing out his mouth. "Are you excited?"

Alli nodded eagerly. "This is my very first dinner with your family!" Johnny exhaled and leaned down to kiss her. Alli leaned forward and smiled as Johnny pressed his lips to hers. He smelled like tulips and azaleas but he still managed to maintain some of that manly must. "So when are you ditching this popsicle stand?"

"Rissa and Aaron are moving into the city by the end of the month. I didn't want to have to leave the trailer, but Rissa's going to sell it."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Alli whispered, running her mini comb through her hair.

"Don't worry. I'll find a great apartment."

"I know you will." Johnny shaved his upper lip and chin as Alli checked her makeup in the mirror.

"You're fine Backwoods." Alli grinned.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Now that Rissa's loaded, we'll probably go to some place like Red Lobster." Johnny smiled at her. Alli shook her head and left Johnny in the bathroom. She wondered if keeping a secret from him would cost her their relationship. The guilt was already setting in.


End file.
